Mnemosyne's Son
by Quatermass
Summary: When Voldemort tried to kill Harry Potter, the backlash of magic sent Harry to another world. Adopted by Cid and Edea Kramer, Harry, a rare Sorcerer, has Quistis Trepe as a Knight. But when his mother begins acting strangely, and Galbadia steps up its aggression, Harry, Quistis, Squall, and so many others must unravel a plot, and defeat a foe from the future...
1. Foreword

**FOREWORD**

For my Christmas Update last year, I did my first oneshot, a crossover between Harry Potter and _Final Fantasy VIII_ known as _Ultimecia's Knight_. It was just a brief slice of life story with Harry and Ultimecia being in a relationship, of all things, and managing to derail many of the events of _Final Fantasy VIII_ , for the better (mostly). At the time, I had no desire to do another crossover. But then, an idea came to me, and wouldn't go away.

Part of it may be due to the fact that one of my frequent reviewers, Have a Little Feith, remarked that they hadn't seen a Quistis shipping fic with anyone other than Naruto. They also wanted to see my take on it, though they intended to put that up as a challenge elsewhere. While I didn't intend to do anything at the time at which they posted that review (early January), the idea wouldn't go away, though I needed to get a decent plot point. I have to confess, the idea of shipping Harry with Quistis was appealing, as Quistis sort of got a raw deal in the game. Rinoa and Squall got their happily ever after, as did Irvine and Selphie, and even Zell had a girlfriend. And she was basically treated as crap by Squall (early on, at least: " _Then go talk to a wall_ ", anyone? I like Squall, more than I like Lightning, but come on), Seifer, and the higher-ups of Garden (barring Cid). So here, she had been paired up with Harry.

In this work, Harry has never been to Hogwarts, and with time running differently in the Potterverse and that of _Final Fantasy VIII_ , he won't until after these events. In making Harry a Sorcerer, I am taking a leaf out of a couple of other fics of this crossover type, but I'm making Quistis Harry's Knight, as well as Cid and Edea his (adoptive) parents. In addition, Harry will play a role in keeping the fading memories of the cast, particularly Squall and Quistis, alive. This is why the story is called _Mnemosyne's Son_ , because Mnemosyne was the Greek deity of memory.

Anyway, onto the usual disclaimers. Firstly, there will be spoilers for both Harry Potter and _Final Fantasy VIII_ , especially the latter.

Secondly, due to sexual situations (no lemons, just some discussions of Harry and Quistis' relationship), violence and language, this is an M-rated work.

Thirdly, like all of my stories, this will have a lot of annotations. You don't like it? Well, bellyaching will only lead to pain for you.

Finally, the following is a fan-written work. Harry Potter and _Final Fantasy VIII_ are the properties of their respective owners. Please support the official release. Otherwise, Quistis will whip you, and not in a kinky way either…


	2. Chapter 1: Harry Kramer

**CHAPTER 1:**

 **HARRY KRAMER**

The shrill beeping of the alarm roused the two sleeping forms to consciousness reluctantly. The slender arm of a young woman, in her late teens but with the air of someone older, flicked the alarm off, and groaned in annoyance. Said woman rose from her bed, and stretched, yawning. While not exactly spectacularly beautiful, her naked body was attractive, though her face frequently had a stern expression on it. Not that it had it now: the golden tresses of long blonde hair framed instead an expression of mild annoyance at getting up.

Rising alongside her was the equally naked slender body of a man of the same age, with a messy shock of black hair, emerald green eyes, and a distinctive jagged scar on his forehead. He contorted his features as if trying to work out the fatigue by facial calisthenics. "Bloody alarm clock," he murmured.

"Harry," the woman said, slipping into a dressing gown, "I have my responsibilities, you know."

"Yes, but it's not like anyone in the Garden bureaucracy who appreciates your dedication, Quisty," Harry said, donning a gown of his own. "Well, save for Dad. And the Garden Faculty and Norg take every opportunity to undermine him. Dad showed me the latest little bit of feedback from Seifer, Raijin, and Fujin. And you know that, for all their being laughably called the 'Disciplinary Committee', they love to cause trouble for anyone they don't like. Seifer and his cronies, never mind the Faculty and Norg, don't give a shit that you're a beloved instructor by most students, who has her own fanclub, and whose results in the classroom speak for themselves."

"They never do," the woman remarked bitterly, turning on an electric kettle. "Plus, they see me as having a relationship with the Headmaster's son as being an issue."

" _Adopted_ son," Harry corrected her. "Not that it matters. I'm grateful to him and Mum giving me a loving home. I just wish she didn't have to leave, Quistis. Word is Mum disappeared recently from the White SeeDs."

"Yes, Matron," Quistis said quietly. After a moment, she said, "I still find it hard to remember her, even with that diary you had me start. I mean, I'm grateful to you and Cid suggesting it, but sometimes, it feels like a whole other life. And the Faculty still trumpets the usage of Guardian Forces."

"GFs are all very well, if used in moderation. The problem is, they expect you to Junction just about every GF you come across and damn the consequences. I'm glad I've never had to Junction a Guardian Force. Well, save for Jormungand, and he's been with me since my parents found me." As Harry bustled around, making breakfast, he added, "Oh, I almost forgot. Ellone's visiting Balamb Garden for a few days. I've asked Dad to arrange a meeting with us. I remember how badly Squall took Ellone leaving the orphanage. It might do him good to meet her again."

Harry Kramer was probably one of Squall Leonhart's few friends. The young gunblade specialist generally remained cold and aloof with everyone else, though he retained a professional courtesy with Quistis. And he had a rivalry with Seifer Almasy, fellow gunblade specialist, and a professional troublemaker, despite being the head of the self-formed Disciplinary Committee.

"It would be good to meet her, but if I recall, there's going to be a SeeD Exam this afternoon. It'll have to wait," Quistis said.

"Oh, that's right," Harry muttered. "I'd bet it's at Dollet. Dollet's been under attack by the Galbadians for a couple of days now. Dad told me last night that they've only just made a request for SeeD to help them. Zell, Squall, and Seifer'd be taking it."

"You don't like Zell, do you?"

"He's a loud idiot," Harry said. "But he annoys me. I don't hate him. Seifer's another matter. He's jealous of us, you know. I think it's his ambition to become a Sorceress' Knight. The fact that I've got you as the Lady-Knight to my Sorcerer must irk him."

"Much like everything else does," Quistis remarked as toast leapt up from the toaster. "He's insolent, insubordinate, and utterly convinced of his own superiority. He's brilliant in combat, but he's not elite material, despite what he thinks."

 _Much like a Malfoy_ , a certain voice hissed in Harry's mind. _He even has the blond hair_.

"Yeah, yeah, Jormungand(1)," Harry said with a roll of his eyes. "You've said that before."

"Harry, you keep forgetting that we can't hear your GF unless he's out," Quistis said.

"Sorry," Harry said, waving his hand apologetically, before returning to making the toast. "Oh, Ellone's not the only old face who's coming here. Selphie's transferring over from Trabia Garden."

Quistis smiled. "Ah, yes. More energetic than Zell, if what my diary said was any indication. And a bit scary, too."

"That's right." Having made the toast and making some cereal, Harry brought the plates and bowls to the table, while Quistis kept making the tea. As he pulled up the latest newsfeeds on the computer tablet next to his plate, he thought about his life so far. It could have gone worse, he reflected.

* * *

Harry Kramer had been found at the age of one outside the Kramer Orphanage on the southern part of the Centra continent. Indeed, his mother, Edea Kramer, had said she had witnessed his arrival in a strange flurry of light. He turned out to be some sort of Sorcerer, a rare male form of Sorceress, a human being with the innate ability to use magic, rather than the Para-Magic SeeD used. And Edea, being a Sorceress herself, recognised this. Although they had many orphan children to deal with, to raise almost as if they were their own, Harry (identified by a tattered blanket bearing his name) was adopted by Cid and Edea Kramer. It helped that Harry resembled the two, growing up to have Cid's myopia and messy hair, and Edea's dark hair.

He remembered many of the children of the Kramer Orphanage. Many of them went to the various Gardens. Indeed, most of them ended up here, in Balamb Garden: Quistis, Squall, Zell, and Seifer. Selphie ended up at Trabia, while the last Harry heard, Irvine was currently at Galbadia Garden. Ellone was with the White SeeDs, the mobile branch of SeeD whose home was on a massive ship, and whose leader was, up until recently, Edea, his mother.

However, some weeks ago, his mother ceased to return his emails. True, they were intermittent, as radio couldn't be used to transmit them given the radio-disrupting signal caused by Esthar, and Edea had to use it whenever they were in dock, but her emails were frequent enough that a disruption was odd. And his father had told him last night that the White SeeDs had contacted him, saying that Edea had left them all of a sudden, her behaviour changing rather drastically.

Leaving that aside, he remained friends with Squall and Quistis, as he had been their friends at the Kramer Orphanage. They were also the only ones to listen to his suggestion to keep a diary, as Cid and Edea had warned him about the dangers of the GFs. Squall, who had grown more cold and distant after Ellone's departure, nonetheless valued Harry's friendship. It seemed to be one of the few constants in the young man's life.

If anything, however, Harry's relationship with Quistis was even stronger. It had its ups and downs over the years, true, but had come out the stronger for it. His parents had always impressed the need for a Sorceress to have a Knight to protect her, even if it was only from herself. And as Harry was a rare Sorcerer, he needed a Lady-Knight. Or a Knight, if his preferences ran that way, but they didn't.

And there was no denying that Quistis was strong. She had been something of a prodigy in SeeD, gaining her Instructor's licence last year. But such a meteoric rise aroused jealousy, especially as Quistis was known to be good friends with Harry Kramer, son of Balamb Garden Headmaster Cid Kramer. Whispers started that she had slept with him to get that licence, when in reality, they only started sleeping together shortly afterwards. Other whispers suggested that the whip she famously used in combat was used in the bedroom, but Quistis and Harry weren't into that sort of thing.

Harry's role in Garden and SeeD was unique, to say the least. He had taken the SeeD Exam two years ago, and had succeeded. However, he was more of a specialist operative, given his status as a Sorcerer, and rarely went on missions. Then again, his father was, admittedly, trying to conceal his true power from the world. A Sorcerer was even more rare than a Sorceress, and there were generally only a few of the latter at any one time. He was a feared figure already, known as the Serpent Sorcerer for his innate GF summon, Jormungand.

Ah, Jormungand. He wasn't originally a GF. As Harry spent more time with the GF, he related some of his past. Apparently he and Harry came from another world, a world where magic was hidden, but where there were Sorcerers and Sorceresses both, though they were called wizards and witches. Jormungand had been part of a wizard known as Tom Marvolo Riddle, and had assumed the more portentous and certainly more pretentions name of Lord Voldemort (based, would you believe, on a bloody anagram of his full birth name). Voldemort had been a rather nasty piece of work, to say the least, and had attempted to murder Harry after killing both his parents. A prophecy was involved.

But something went wrong when Voldemort tried to use the Killing Curse on Harry. In retrospect, Jormungand believed that Lily Potter, Harry's biological mother, had used some ritual based on self-sacrifice. In the backlash, Harry, along with a fragment of Voldemort's soul stuck in his scar, ended up in this world. And not long after arriving, Harry's magic powers had shifted, and along with them, the fragment of Voldemort. Harry's powers became that of a Sorcerer, while Voldemort's soul fragment mutated into a GF, severing the bond between this fragment and the main soul. As Voldemort always had a thing for snakes, it wasn't surprising that he became Jormungand, a massive serpent.

Harry and Jormungand had a tenuous relationship. Not one of actual friendship: Voldemort had murdered his parents and tried to kill him, and Harry was now his master. But Harry was also a student, and Jormungand a teacher, though Harry discarded many of the more grotesque teachings. In battle, Harry was the master, and Jormungand the servant.

Jormungand often said that there was no good or evil, just power, and those too weak to seek it. Harry disagreed. He agreed more with his parents: that good and evil, in one way, was how one used power. And as Jormungand, while in Harry's head, could not actually influence him, he couldn't exactly make Harry think otherwise. Even with insistent nagging. It was disturbing to hold the reigns of one's self-proclaimed nemesis, Harry reflected, not to mention having him in his head.

* * *

After breakfast, and a shower and getting dressed, Harry heard the phone ringing. He walked over, and picked it up. "Hello, Harry Kramer speaking."

" _Oh, Harry, it's Dr Kadowaki_ ," came the familiar voice of the school doctor. " _Is Quistis there?_ "

"She's just getting dressed. Is anything wrong?"

" _Two of her students got injured during a training duel that got out of hand_ ," Kadowaki said with a sigh. " _One of them has already checked himself out, but the other's waiting here._ "

"Lemme guess. Squall?"

" _Yes. He's got a rather nasty cut that'll scar, but he's fine otherwise. Seifer also got a cut. They're not serious injuries. I was going to ask Quistis to pick him up._ "

"Sure, she'll do that. Just a moment," Harry said, before putting his hand over the mouthpiece of the phone, just as Quistis walked in, dressed in her SeeD Instructor uniform. "Quistis, it's Kadowaki. Apparently Squall and Seifer got into a duel that went sour. They're fine, barring a couple of nasty cuts that will scar."

Quistis sighed quietly, before picking up the phone. "Dr Kadowaki? Yes, I heard. Yes, I'll be there to pick him up soon. Class is nearly about to begin, anyway." She hung up, and then turned to Harry. "Come on. Let's go pick him up."

* * *

Along the way to the Infirmary, Harry and Quistis bumped into a familiar face…for Harry, anyway. For Quistis, it was a face lost to the memory-leeching side effects of GFs. A young girl with a cheerful face and short brown hair, dressed rather demurely in a white dress, with a blue vest over it. "Harry! Quisty!" she greeted them.

"Ellone," Harry said with a smile. "Long time no see, Sis. Did you just see Squall?"

"Yes. He…didn't actually recognise me. He knew of me thanks to that diary of his, and he seemed a bit sullen because he knew who I was, even if he didn't recognise me. I guess my leaving abruptly hurt him more than I thought. But we agreed to talk later. I was hoping later tonight, during the Graduation, even if he doesn't make it. He's changed a lot, hasn't he?"

"Yeah. It did hurt him, Sis," Harry said. "Is he okay, though?"

"Yeah. Apparently Seifer gave him a nasty scar along his face." Ellone traced a finger along her face, bisecting it diagonally.

"I'll have to reprimand him," Quistis said. "Seifer, I mean. It's good to meet you again, Ellone, even if…I don't remember you."

"GFs," Ellone said, muttering the word as if it was a minor curse. "A necessary evil with SeeD. I better not keep you two. I heard you have classes, Quisty, and I have to see your father, Harry. We'll talk later, okay?"

Harry and Quistis nodded, and Ellone went on her way. Soon, they were in the Infirmary. Squall Leonhart was sprawled on the bed, his face screwed up a little in pain. His handsome, if a little cold, features were framed by dark hair…and bisected diagonally by a nasty-looking cut. He wore dark clothes, including a distinctive fur-trimmed jacket.

Upon seeing Quistis and Harry walk in, Squall sat up. "Instructor Trepe, Harry…did you see her?"

"Ellone? Yes. We'll meet her again tonight, apparently," Harry said. "How're you feeling?"

"Like something the cat dragged in," Squall said, getting to his feet. "But I'm fit for duty."

"It's just as well," Quistis said. "The SeeD Field Exam is on later today. And you need to do the pre-requisite. I'll be taking you to the Fire Cavern later today to obtain Ifrit."

Squall nodded, and the three left the Infirmary. As they walked down the corridors, Harry said, "Seifer knows how to push your buttons, doesn't he?"

"He also fights dirty. I know if it was a combat situation, the enemy would also fight dirty, but he used Para-Magic when we had agreed not to. A Fire spell, to be precise." Squall shook his head and scoffed. "Whatever."

"There's the Squall we know and love," Harry said with a smirk. Squall rolled his eyes. And Quistis chuckled softly. The three made their way through Balamb Garden, military academy, and the seat of the mercenary force known as SeeD. A force which Harry knew all too well had a secret purpose: to defend the world from rogue Sorceresses.

And today would be the day when things would start coming to a head…

 **CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Okay, so, here's the first chapter of** ** _Mnemosyne's Son_** **. Now, if you're wondering why Squall seems somewhat OOC (or at least more chatty and open than he is in canon), it's partly because of his friendship with Harry. Squall remains a sullen and moody SOB, and somewhat misanthropic, but he at least still values friendships, though to tell the truth, Harry's his only actual friend. At least this time, Squall HAS a friend.**

 **I'm not going to recite every part of the game verbatim. Harry, for example, won't participate in either the Fire Cavern sequence or the Dollet landings. And despite hints here, I've decided (since writing this chapter) that he will not go with Squall, Zell, and Selphie to Timber, though he will join them when Quistis pursues Seifer there.**

 **And in case any of you are concerned about Harry and Voldemort/Jormungand's relationship, it's not a truly friendly one. It's not unlike that between Naruto and the** ** _Kyuubi_** **. In all but the later stages of the** ** _Naruto_** **manga, anyway. It's an antagonistic but fruitful partnership. They're resigned to sticking together. And Jormungand is no longer a Horcrux, and so, is not keeping Voldemort alive in the Potterverse.**

 **Next chapter, Selphie! Raijin and Fujin! And an altered dictionary!**

 **1\. Jormungand is another name for the Midgardsormr, a summon from** ** _Final Fantasy VI_** **. The Midgar Zolom from** ** _Final Fantasy VII_** **was another version of this creature. The name comes from Norse myth.**


	3. Chapter 2: Showing a Selphie

**CHAPTER 2:**

 **SHOWING A SELPHIE**

Harry had just had a brief meeting with his father. Apparently, his mother had not only gone AWOL, but was rumoured to be in Galbadia, in the company of President Vinzer Deling. All very concerning indeed. Cid had also told his son that there might be a mission on the grapevine for him. A representative from one of the resistance groups of Timber (there were as many such groups in Timber as there were fleas on a dog) was coming to ask for help later tonight.

Descending the elevator, Harry hoped to meet up with Squall and Quistis before they left for the Fire Cavern. But as he waited, the elevator, which had had enough time to leave for the ground floor and come back up again (classrooms being on the first floor), disgorged a wailing girl. "I'm late, I'm late, I'M LAAATE!" she screeched as she sprinted from it.

"Hey, slow down," Harry said, halting the girl in her tracks. As she skidded to a stop, he said, "Class is over. I'm waiting on a couple of my friends."

"Oh, nooo," the girl, with neck-length brown hair done in a rather cute curl up at the ends, pouted. "This place is sooo much bigger than Trabia Garden."

Harry blinked when he recognised the energetic girl. "Hang a moment. Are you Selphie Tilmitt?"

"Ah, yes, that's me," Selphie said, tilting her head quizzically. "Do I know you?"

"When we were very young," Harry said. "We were at the same orphanage. It's been years since we saw each other. Harry Kramer." He offered his hand, which was shaken enthusiastically.

"Hi, Harry!" Selphie said with a grin. "Sorry I can't remember you. Must've been a looong time ago." Her face fell. "Hey, Harry, d'you mind if you give me a tour of Balamb Garden?"

"Sure. Do you mind if I wait to say goodbye to my friends first? One of them's got to finish the prerequisite assessment first." He saw Squall approaching. "Speak of the devil. Squall!"

Squall approached them. "Harry," he said with a polite nod. "Who's this?"

"Selphie Tilmitt. She's just transferred from Trabia. Selphie, this is Squall Leonhart. He was at our orphanage too."

"Nice to meet ya!" Selphie said, offering her hand. Squall took it reluctantly, but shook her hand as a courtesy.

"Likewise," Squall said, perhaps a touch insincerely. Not because he had any actual antipathy towards Selphie, but because of his general moodiness and misanthropy. That, and the loud and enthusiastic he had something of an allergy to. Harry sympathised.

"I was going to show Selphie around Balamb Garden. Where's Quistis?" Harry asked.

"She's gone to change, and is meeting me by the gates," Squall said. "She told me to say 'sorry, Harry, but we're in a rush. We'll talk before the Field Exam'."

"Okay," Harry sighed. "Tell her I'm showing Selphie around Balamb Garden. She got lost for her class. Good luck getting Ifrit, Squall."

The sullen gunblade wielder nodded, and left. Selphie watched him head into the elevator, before turning to Harry. "Wait, are you Harry Kramer, the Serpent Sorcerer?"

"Uhh, yeah. I am."

"Oh Hyne, this is sooo cool!" she gushed. "The guy who got sent out to a major monster infestation near Dollet for his Field Exam and wiped them out! Seriously, those monsters were like at Lunar Cry levels, and you _annihilated_ them! They've got videos of you doing so!"

Harry chuckled a little nervously. Leaving aside the fact that he was somewhat uncomfortable with his fame, he remembered the enthusiastic Selphie being a little too fond of violence when she was young. "I'm not giving autographs, if that's what you want."

"No, no, I'm just glad to meet one of the most famous members of SeeD. Well, in Garden circles, anyway. The videos are used in demonstrating the power of Sorceresses." Selphie seemed to rein in her enthusiasm, and then said, "Well, you want to show me around?"

Harry nodded. Might as well help her…

* * *

His tour took about half an hour, as he not only showed Selphie the directory, but also took her to the various areas, like the Infirmary, the Garage, the Training Centre (well, to its entrance, anyway) and the Library. She knew where the dorms were, thankfully. And as it turned out, Selphie had gotten herself onto the Garden Festival planning committee. Harry knew that that had been in dire straits lately due to lack of interest.

As they toured Balamb, Harry asked Selphie a little about her own life. As it turned out, Selphie was an excellent user of nunchaku, and could, in extremis, use a variety of Para-Magic, including stuff not classified by Garden as Para-Magic, as her Limit Break, Slots.

She was more likeable than Zell. The two were equally energetic, enthusiastic, and loud, but Selphie was endearing. The only reason why Harry tolerated Zell was because, for all of his loudness and irritating qualities, he was a genuinely nice guy. That, and Zell was an excellent martial artist. Then again, Seifer was an expert with a gunblade, and Harry detested him.

"Now, one last thing before we finish this up," Harry said as they reached the first floor lobby. "If you break the rules, you'll probably run afoul of one of two organisations here. There's the Garden Faculty. Here, they wear those robes and those stupid yellow hats. They're the official disciplinarians of Balamb Garden. And then, there's the Disciplinary Committee. They're the unofficial disciplinarians of Balamb Garden, but the Garden Faculty give them carte blanche." He saw two people at the directory, and groaned. "Speak of the devil, and they're at your shoulder. Selphie, there's two of the Disciplinary Committee right there." A little louder, he called out, "Raijin, Fujin!"

Harry liked Raijin and Fujin a little better than Seifer. It was the latter's arrogance and bullying attitude that he couldn't stand. When away from Seifer, Raijin and Fujin were far more tolerable. Raijin was an annoying goof of a man, dark-skinned, boisterous and burly, but a master with a bo staff and a surprisingly enthusiastic amateur entomologist. He was friendly enough when not around Seifer. Harry got along best with Fujin: though he had a healthy disrespect for the rules she adhered to religiously, he also shared the silver-haired girl's annoyance with idiots. Fujin wore an eyepatch, and tended to speak extremely laconically. She also wielded a chakram expertly.

"Hey, Harry! Watcha doin' with that girl? Should Quistis be jealous, y'know?" Raijin asked, before yelping when Fujin stomped on his foot.

"TRANSFER, IMBECILE," Fujin said.

"Got it in one, Fujin," Harry said. "Selphie's a newcomer to Balamb Garden. She transferred from Trabia. She asked me for a tour. Thought I'd introduce her to the nicer members of the Disciplinary Committee."

"Well, nice to meet ya, Selphie!" Raijin said, shaking her hand. Fujin didn't do so. She gave a courteous nod, but that was it.

"By the way, where's Seifer?" Harry asked.

"RESTING," Fujin said.

"He's got a pretty nasty headache from the morning's training duel on top of that scar, y'know?" Raijin clarified. "And after Quistis berated him for injuring Squall during training in class, he thought he'd rest until the SeeD Field Exam. He's gotta be on top of his game, y'know."

"It's going to be more than a test of his combat skills, guys, you know this," Harry said. "Just please tell him, if he's going to bother listening, to not get creative with interpreting his orders again. If he'll listen to anyone, it'll be you two."

Fujin sighed, shaking her head. "STUBBORN."

"Hey, don't talk like that, Fujin!" Raijin said. "Seifer will ace this exam, y'know!"

Harry and Fujin's eyes (well, _eye_ in Fujin's case) met. Fujin was loyal to Seifer, but she was also a realist. And while they weren't exactly friends, with Fujin helping Seifer undermine Quistis, they also viewed themselves as being part of the Only Sane People Club of Balamb Garden. Harry viewed Quistis, his father, Doctor Kadowaki, and Xu, one of the top SeeDs, as being part of the club too. Squall was a touch too emo, Zell was too loud, Raijin was a loud idiot, and Seifer was an egotistical bully. And that was without going into the Garden Faculty and Master Norg.

"Well, nice to meet ya," Selphie said. "I'd better get going. Thanks for the tour, Harry! Bye!"

As she scampered off, Fujin remarked, "ENERGETIC."

"Yeah. She's another alumnus of the Old Orphanage Crowd," Harry said, using his facetious pet term for those who had been part of the Kramer Orphanage before SeeD and Garden were founded. Raijin and Fujin joined Garden after it had been founded. "All we need is Irvine to come over from Galbadia Garden, and we'll have the whole set, more or less."

"…HORRIFYING."

Harry, after a moment, beckoned the silver-haired girl closer. He wasn't doing this for Seifer's sake. He was doing this more for Raijin and Fujin's sake. Softly, he told her, "The Field Exam may take place in Dollet. You didn't hear this from me."

Fujin nodded. "UNDERSTOOD."

* * *

Later, Quistis and Squall came back. Harry was in the library when Quistis sought him out. "So, I hear you gave Selphie a tour?"

"And introduced her to Raijin and Fujin," Harry said. "They're nicer when they're away from Seifer. If she wasn't helping Seifer and the Garden Faculty undermine you, I could even be friends with Fujin. You and Fujin and Xu are pretty much the sanest girls I know here. Anyway, it's best Selphie meets the so-called Disciplinary Committee in good circumstances. And the best ones are when Seifer isn't part of them. By the way, how did Squall do?"

"Exemplarily," Quistis said as Harry got to his feet. "But I just received word from the Garden Faculty. Seifer, Squall, and Zell are being assigned to the same squad."

Harry groaned as they began walking out of the library. "Are the Garden Faculty _trying_ to fail Squall and Zell? You'd think they'd assign Seifer a squad that he had a chance of passing with."

"As long as Squall and Zell obey Seifer's orders, they'll fulfil the requirements of the Field Exam. I think Cid's actually giving Seifer enough rope to hang himself with. The Faculty think that they are giving Seifer a taste of command. I'll have to change back into my SeeD uniform. You want to see them off?"

"Squall, at least," Harry said. "And Zell doesn't deserve to be inflicted with Seifer as a captain. You're heading over to supervise the Field Exam?"

"And help with the extraction should things go south," Quistis said.

* * *

A little while later, both Harry and Quistis had changed their clothes from their habitual ones to their SeeD uniforms. They then headed to the First Floor Lobby, and soon, Squall joined them, dressed in his cadet uniform.

"I'd better tell you your squad assignment, Squall," Quistis said. "You'll be paired with Zell Dincht. Quite the lively fellow."

"If by lively, you mean loud," Squall snarked. "Can't I switch?"

Harry shook his head. "Sorry, but once the squad assignments have been made, they can't be overruled."

Quistis nodded, and then spotted Zell. Not that it was hard. Zell had a distinctive quiff of blonde hair that made him resemble a rooster. Harry remembered Seifer calling Zell a 'chicken' and a 'chicken-wuss' ever since the Kramer Orphanage. Zell was no wuss, he just had too much bravado and energy. Though he was, admittedly, afraid of breaking the rules back in the Orphanage, like with that whole fireworks incident. He also had an elaborate black tattoo on the side of his face. He was dancing around, practising fighting moves. "Zell!" Quistis called out. "Over here!"

Zell, upon spotting them, began doing an admittedly impressive series of backflips towards them. As he stopped, grinning, Harry held up a card marked '8'. The things one could do with magic.

"Only an 8?" Zell asked.

"Sorry, but this judge is biased," Harry said deadpan, dispelling the card with a gesture. "Be thankful you scored that high. You actually impressed me."

Zell shrugged, before going over to Squall. "So, I'm with you? You don't get along with Seifer, do you? Heard he whooped your ass pretty badly this morning."

"Squall gave as good as he got," Harry said. "And Seifer gets along with nobody save for his Disciplinary Committee and the Garden Faculty. It's an immutable law of the universe."

Zell laughed at Harry's deadpan snark, but Squall scowled. "We weren't fighting. It was a training duel that got out of hand."

"I bet he doesn't think so," Zell said. "Look, Seifer's just being a pain in the ass. All you've gotta do is ignore him!"

"That's none of your business," Squall said.

"Zell's right about Seifer not thinking it was training," Harry pointed out, briefly reflecting that broken clocks _were_ right twice a day, after all. "Quistis? Should you give them the bad news?"

Quistis nodded, before saying, "I'm sorry to say it, but Seifer Almasy is your squad leader. And no," she said, holding up a hand to forestall the protest, "it can't be changed."

"SAY WHAT?!" Zell yelped.

"Give me a break," Squall muttered sullenly, though whether from Seifer being their leader, or from Zell's volume, Harry didn't know. Maybe both.

Harry looked over, and saw Seifer strutting up, flanked by Raijin and Fujin. Whatever rest he had seemed to restore his cocky demeanour. He also had a nice scar across his face, an inverse of the one he had given Squall. As Seifer approached, Quistis said, "You're the squad leader, Seifer. The best of luck to you."

Seifer looked up, and gave a cocky smile that Harry wanted to hit with a brick. Repeatedly. "…Instructor Trepe, I hate it when people wish me luck. Save the well-wishing for a poor student who needs them, okay?"

Harry resisted a sudden urge to use that Imperius curse Jormungand taught him to make Seifer do a jig. Quistis merely smiled, and then said, pointedly, "Okay, then. Good luck, Seifer."

Harry struggled to not smile when Seifer's face twisted into a paroxysm of rage. Eventually, he snarled at his minions, "Add Instructor Trepe to The List."

"She isn't there already?" Harry snarked. Seifer scowled at him. Raijin and Fujin laughed silently at Harry's snark behind Seifer's back. For all of their loyalty to the young hooligan, there were times when even they appreciated him being taken down a peg or two.

Quistis' smile became fixed. "Well then, you're assigned to Squad B. I'll be the Instructor in charge. Teamwork is of the _utmost_ importance." She looked pointedly at Seifer when she said that, with his expression suggesting he didn't give a shit. "Let's get through this exam, everyone!"

Seifer snorted, before turning to Squall and Zell. "Listen up! Teamwork means staying the hell out of my way."

"Fujin?" Harry asked, interrupting Seifer's little speech. When the silver-haired girl turned to him while Seifer spluttered in annoyance, he asked, "Do you have a dictionary?"

As it happened, Fujin did, and tossed him a heavily annotated dictionary, which he caught. He looked in it, under teamwork, and found that it was altered by hand to show Seifer's unique little definition of teamwork (' _Staying the hell out of Seifer's way, unless you are Raijin or Fujin_ '), something Harry showed Quistis, who snorted quietly. He then looked at Fujin, before tossing the dictionary back. "You altered that, didn't you?"

Fujin gave a rare smirk. "NO COMMENT."

"Everyone here?" came the voice of his father, Headmaster Cid. The middle-aged man with the often smiling paternal face, messy brown hair and glasses stopped with them. He looked at Squad B. Harry watched as his father gave a well-practised speech. Harry saw Seifer failing to avoid rolling his eyes, Squall standing to attention, and Zell fidgeting slightly. Afterwards, he said to Quistis, "Best of luck for the mission."

"Sir." Quistis then led Squad B to the Garage, ready to take a car to the town of Balamb.

Cid sighed. "Come along, Harry. Ellone's waiting in the office. She wanted to speak to you before tonight."

Harry nodded, and followed Cid to the elevator. He was looking forward to a better meeting with the girl he considered his older sister, even if it was bad tidings she bore…

 **CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Hope you enjoyed that. A bit more from the game, albeit with Selphie being shown around by Harry rather than Squall, and some humour. Seriously, I can see Fujin carrying around a dictionary with alterations to reflect her view and Seifer's on life. She probably hits Raijin over the head with it too.**

 **Shortly after writing this chapter, I've decided how this fic is going to end. Hopefully, when I finally come to actually write it, you'll love what I do. Let's just say that Harry, Quistis, Rinoa and Ellone are the key players to defeat Ultimecia.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	4. Chapter 3: Ominous Tidings

**CHAPTER 3:**

 **OMINOUS TIDINGS**

Ellone was waiting in the office, along with her usual escorts of a pair of White SeeDs, dressed in their cream-coloured uniforms. Harry sat next to her, while Cid sat opposite her. "Let's hear it then, Ellone," Cid said.

The young woman nodded. "Before she disappeared, Edea's behaviour became increasingly erratic. As if she was literally becoming a different person. When she did disappear, she left this note."

Cid read the note Ellone handed him, and frowned, before handing it over to Harry. Scrawled on it was a series of strange words and terms.

 _Junction Machine Ellone_

 _Ultimecia_

 _Time Compression_

 _Odine_

 _Adel_

Then, a longer letter, more coherent, on the back of the same note.

 _Ellone, you are in danger. I cannot say what kind exactly, for I am in danger of losing myself, and speaking too much of it may hasten the process. Lay low at Balamb Garden for a while, until the White SeeDs have shaken me off. I hope I will be able to shield that knowledge from one who covets your power. I also give you a warning. I doubt you'll be able to change what happened with Laguna. I have no issue with you watching the past, but to try and change it to shape the present may risk you losing what you hold dear._

 _Tell my husband and son I will love them always. Warn them, when they see me next, I may not be myself, and SeeD may need to be brought to bear against me._

 _With love,_

 _Edea Kramer_

Harry frowned, before saying, "Ominous. I wonder what she meant by all that. Are you a Sorceress, Sis?"

Ellone shook her head. "I have…a different power. I was once nearly made into the Sorceress Adel's successor years ago. Edea spoke of the man who saved me, a man I considered… _consider_ my uncle, Laguna Loire. My power was studied by Odine, the famous Esthar scientist. I can project people's consciousness back in time. They can watch or even influence events."

Harry whistled. "Neat. You never told me about this, Sis."

"We asked Ellone not to discuss it at the time," Cid said. "She had only recently discovered her power shortly before Esthar kidnapped her. She's also a telepath."

Harry frowned, tapping the note. "Mum said she wouldn't be herself. Is it me, or does that stink of possession?"

"That is my fear," Cid said. "You'll note that she wrote down 'Adel', the infamous Sorceress who was the dictator of Esthar. She disappeared, and Esthar has since become isolationist."

"Partly to redeem itself," Ellone said. "Uncle Laguna was all but conscripted into becoming the President of Esthar after helping overthrow Adel. She was put into stasis and shot into space. I remember it because I was there at the time. It is that that causes the worldwide radio interference: part of it is the dampening signal suppressing Adel's powers, while some is Adel's own power, reaching out."

"The Ghost Messages," Harry mused. Sometimes, if one used a TV fed through radio waves rather than HD cable, you saw ghostly images through the static of the radio interference. Sometimes, you even saw words. Ominous words and phrases. Like 'I AM ALIVE HERE', or 'BRING ME BACK THERE'. Or, even more ominously, 'I WILL NEVER LET YOU FORGET ABOUT ME'. "Those are Adel?"

"I think so," Ellone said. "She was a powerful, hateful Sorceress, one of the worst."

Cid then said, "What about these other terms? Junction Machine Ellone, Time Compression, and Ultimecia?"

"I have no idea. I thought Ultimecia might be a name. Maybe some sort of spell derived from Ultima, but I believe that a name is more likely, a place or a person."

"This Junction Machine Ellone…perhaps it's a means of artificially recreating your powers," Cid mused. "Junctioning does not always entail GFs."

"Maybe," Ellone mused.

"Yeah, but I'd put money on a possession being involved," Harry said. "Maybe Adel's managed to take a hold of Mum. Do you think we have a chance of breaking that possession, if that's the case?"

"I would hope so," Cid said with a sigh. "I don't want to have to order the death of my wife."

"Time Compression, though…again, ominous," Harry mused. "I mean, what does that mean? And more to the point, what would anyone want with your power? I mean, can you change the past?"

"I haven't tried," Ellone said, though Harry could tell that she had left the word 'yet' unspoken. Especially given Edea's admonishments in the letter.

Harry tapped his fingers on the letter. "If I'm right about the Adel possession theory, and I may not be, but it may just be that Adel wants her successor back. I mean, you did say she abducted you to act as her successor. You must have the potential to become a Sorceress, even if you don't actually have the power."

"A perturbing thought indeed," Cid said.

"And one I don't think is correct. I agree that it may be possession, but the way Odine spoke about the process at the time, Adel is impotent, reduced to shrieking her anger in the radio interference," Ellone said.

"Doesn't mean Odine can't be wrong," Harry said. "Besides nothing's infallible. Jormungand said he laughs at such words, like 'unsinkable'." Privately, he thought that Jormungand thought himself infallible, despite evidence to the contrary.

"What's wrong with 'unsinkable'?" Cid asked.

Harry shrugged. "Nothing, said the iceberg to the _Titanic_. Glug, glug, glug, glug, glug(1)…" A joke Jormungand told him. The others wouldn't get the joke.

After a moment's silence, Harry decided to change the subject. "By the way, has there been any more news from Dollet? Why the Galbadians are attacking? I mean, other than Vinzer Deling's hard-on for building his own little empire."

"The truth is, we don't know. However, the last reports suggested that the G-Army have considerable interest in the Communications Tower on the edge of the city. It's one of the few facilities capable of breaking through the radio interference, but hasn't been used for years," Cid said.

"The Galbadians want a big ol' radio transmitter?" Harry asked.

"Possibly. Even so, Dollet didn't send much funds. It's not like they could send much anyway given the conflict, but the Garden Faculty and Norg refused to send more than the four Exam Squads and nine SeeDs. Oh, that reminds me!" Cid said. "Later, I would like you to go and pick up this woman from Balamb Train Station. She should be arriving from Timber in an hour." He handed over a picture of a cute girl, about his age or maybe a little younger, with long dark hair, dark eyes, and a mischievous expression. "Her name is Rinoa Heartilly, and she's a key member of the Timber Owls, one of the resistance groups of Timber."

"This is the one you were thinking of sending me to help," Harry said.

"Yes, though the Garden Faculty have overridden me since our meeting this morning. I'll only be able to send a rookie SeeD squad instead. I'm also under increasing pressure to revoke Quistis Trepe's Instructor licence. Knowing Norg and his lackeys, they'll do so behind my back after the Field Exam is over. They'll probably use whatever happens to Seifer as an excuse. I just hope that neither Squall nor Zell get dragged down with him." Cid scowled. "Damn Norg and his money-grubbing ways!"

"Dad, surely we've come to the point where we can tell Norg and his cronies to fuck off?" Harry asked, Ellone gasping at the expletive. "SeeD is already generating enough profit that Norg has gotten back his investment and more."

Cid scoffed. "It's not that simple. Norg and his lackeys would turn on us in a heartbeat. They'd mount a hostile takeover of Balamb Garden. And the Faculty have excellent abilities in summoning and controlling monsters. Nominally to act as extra security in times when Garden is attacked, but…"

"They can turn it on us," Harry said bitterly. "Along with anyone supporting you."

His father nodded. "And Norg feels extremely proprietorial towards Balamb Garden: he thinks it is his, and his alone."

Harry groaned. "I thought the Shumi were meant to be nice guys. How did we end up with the Grade-A douchebag as our financier?"

"Your mother would be so ashamed to hear such language," Cid chided Harry, albeit half-heartedly. Harry knew that his father agreed with the assessment, in sentiment if not in wording. "And saying such things in front of Ellone, too!"

"Come on, Dad, Ellone lives on a boat. I'm sure at least one of the White SeeDs has a vocabulary like a sailor."

"Yes, but I strive not to emulate her language," Ellone said.

Harry laughed. "And if I recall correctly, not long before Mum took you away and founded the White SeeDs, you let rip into Seifer in a right old fit of anger, calling him a 'no good son of a bitch' when he nearly drowned Zell at the beach. And after that, he said that he never knew you were his mother until you said that. Edea smacked his sorry arse until it was redder than a Winhill tomato for that comment. Clearly it didn't take."

Ellone blushed, embarrassed. "I…had actually forgotten that."

Cid chuckled, despite himself. "I remembered that." His face fell. "Sadly, I believe I am failing him. I value independence of thought, true, but there are times to obey orders. He only dances to his own tune."

* * *

They had made small talk for the next little while, until the time came for Harry to go and pick up Rinoa Heartilly from Balamb. Driving one of Garden's cars into the small town, he got out and walked to the station. He soon found Rinoa, who was looking around, curious. "Miss Heartilly?" Harry said. "Cid sent me," he added when she turned to face him. "I'm Harry Kramer."

"Ah, the Serpent Sorcerer of Balamb Garden!" Rinoa said with a smile. She certainly had Selphie and Zell's enthusiasm, but turned down several notches. "So, you're taking me to Balamb Garden?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "Hop on in."

As she did so, and they began driving, Rinoa said, "I'd only been able to send emails by HD cable. Cid invited me here to go to the Graduation Ball that is being held here. I haven't been to a ball for ages. You're actually kind of cute, you know."

Harry chuckled. "I've also got a girlfriend."

"Ooh, she's lucky. Don't worry, I won't get you into trouble with her," Rinoa said.

"Better not. She's currently at the Field Exam for the SeeD cadets, and a friend of mine is hoping to graduate. He's a prodigy with a gunblade."

"Oh, is his name Seifer?"

Harry blinked, before shaking his head. "No, no, _Hyne_ no! Seifer and I are most definitely _not_ friends."

"Oh. What a shame. I used to date him for a while, when he was on holiday in Timber last year, actually," Rinoa said. "Nothing really serious, but he was the one who suggested I try contacting Garden to hire some SeeDs. It's taken us a while to scrape the money together, not to mention get any attention from anyone. It was only when I found Cid's email that I got any correspondence with him."

Harry shrugged. "Yeah, well, good luck. I don't think you're going to be able to win Timber's independence overnight, really, but you never know. Dad was going to send me over, apparently, but Garden politics got in the way. What can you do?"

"Dad? Oh, right, your father's Cid, isn't he? I forgot he was Cid Kramer. I can't stay for long. Angelo gets antsy without me, and Watts and Zone don't really know how to deal with her." On seeing Harry's look, Rinoa clarified, "My dog, Angelo. Zone and Watts are my comrades in the Timber Owls."

"Ah. Just remember, though, if you do get a squad of SeeDs, they're seasoned operatives, even the rookies. Don't waste them."

"I know that!" Rinoa snapped almost petulantly. After a moment, she asked, "That friend of yours, what's his name?"

"Squall Leonhart," Harry said. "He's a bit cold, but he's a decent guy, and a good SeeD."

Rinoa shrugged. "Maybe I'll see him later tonight. If he's cute, I'll give him a dance."

Harry cackled. "Oh, I am SO going to be taking pictures. I think he's a decent dancer, but he's pretty anti-social. He doesn't do dances. If you can drag him out to the dancefloor, I am taking photos. And maybe video."

"I thought he was your friend," Rinoa said with a giggle.

"Yeah, but sometimes, he needs to loosen the ten-foot stick up his arse," Harry said. "As I said, he's a decent guy, he just needs to lose the emo act every once in a while. A bit of the unexpected helps. I sometimes play a prank on him. Not as much as Seifer, though. Seifer doesn't like pranks. He has no detectable sense of humour known to human science."

Rinoa pouted, albeit lightheartedly. "You're mean to him."

"Reciprocation, Miss Heartilly. There's nothing I do to him that he hasn't done to me."

"Just call me Rinoa. I hate being called 'Miss Heartilly'. Makes me think I'm back in Dad's mansion and being called 'Miss Caraway'," she said with a scowl.

"Okay, Rinoa." They fell into silence then, while Harry drove the car back to Balamb Garden. Harry wondered how much trouble Rinoa was going to be, though. He hoped not. She seemed like a nice girl. He just had to wonder what she would do with the SeeDs she managed to get on her mission…

 **CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **And there you have it. Now, Harry's theories about Adel possibly possessing Edea are wrong, for those of you versed with the game's lore, but I think that, given the information he has, it's not an unreasonable theory. He'll learn that he's wrong, though, and sooner than you'd think.**

 **While writing this chapter, I had an idea for a pure** ** _Final Fantasy VIII_** **fic, an Ultimecia-centric fic. It's tentatively titled** ** _La Vita Nuova_** **. Go give it a shot. The first chapter or so should be ready by the time this is posted.**

 **1\. The Fourth Doctor makes a similar joke in his debut story** ** _Doctor Who: Robot_** **.**


	5. Chapter 4: Dancing Mad

**CHAPTER 4:**

 **DANCING MAD**

Harry badly wanted to go on the rampage through Balamb Garden, given how badly the Faculty and Seifer treated Quistis. As his father had predicted, Norg and the Faculty had managed to overrule him, saying that Quistis 'lacked leadership skills'. Harry disagreed, as did Cid, and most of the normal student faculty, but that was a moot point.

Seifer, of course, had a lot to say. The petulant prick had disobeyed orders during the Field Exam, leaving his post to see why the Galbadians were sneaking to the Communications Tower and stop them. Squall and Zell only passed because they followed the immediate chain of command, their squad captain. And Seifer, upon learning later that the G-Army only wanted the Communications Tower (and were willing to withdraw from Dollet for the time being), had lamented that they could have been heroes if the withdrawal order hadn't been given. Quistis had rebuked him, merely saying he was only looking to pick fights.

Seifer had retorted, " _My dear instructor, I'm hurt. Those are cruel words for an aspiring student, but I didn't expect any better from a mediocre Instructor who spreads her legs for advancement like the Sorcerer's Slut she is._ "

The barbs hit home, devastating Quistis. Xu had rebuked Seifer, and Squall had to hold Harry back from roasting the arrogant would-be SeeD to a crisp. But after Cid had quietly rebuked Seifer, telling him he would be disciplined for his irresponsible behaviour (though telling him that he didn't want them to be automatons either), Harry had gone up to Seifer. People expected him to burn the arrogant cadet to death. Instead, he had hissed, " _Quistis is worth a million of you, you stupid arsehole. I pity Raijin and Fujin for having a worthless, self-centred, opinionated fuckwit glory hound for a friend like you._ " He had then stormed off, not caring that he could hear Seifer sobbing quietly. Seifer had done far worse to Quistis. Anyone who called Quistis the Sorcerer's Slut deserved worse, and it was only knowing the consequences would be bad that Harry didn't try to actually attack the wannabe SeeD with anything more than words.

As it happened, Squall, Selphie, Zell, and Nida (the latter being a rather non-descript cadet Harry had only met a couple of times) were the only ones who graduated. Harry was left to console Quistis, who soon received her demotion letter through the Garden network. Cold and impersonal. Seifer was still being punished, but that was small consolation.

Eventually, the time came for the Graduation. Quistis, reluctantly, donned her SeeD uniform, as did Harry, and they went to the Ballroom, hoping to meet Ellone.

* * *

"…And he said, ' _What is this, some kind of dog training?!_ '" Zell said, to general laughter. Even Quistis and Squall chuckled a little, though in both cases, it was a bit forced. Quistis because of her demotion, and Squall because, well, he rarely showed much emotion. That, and Squall had heard Seifer's cruel insult towards Quistis. While cold and distant towards Quistis, Squall almost went after Seifer himself for that remark. After all, Seifer didn't cross the line as much as leap over it.

Ellone shook her head. "And he thinks himself a SeeD?"

"Seifer has a very high opinion of himself," Quistis said.

"And in other breaking news, the ocean is wet," Harry snarked. This one got another round of chuckling. "I'd rather be with Raijin and Fujin than Seifer. Raijin's fun when he isn't tripping over himself, and Fujin'd be nice if she wasn't so loud and laconic, not to mention being a bitch towards Quisty. But Seifer seems to think he's the king of all Balamb Garden, but in reality, he's just the drama queen."

Another round of laughter. "Anyway," Quistis said, "I'd like to propose a toast. To Squall Leonhart, Zell Dincht, and Selphie Tilmitt, the newly-minted SeeDs of Garden."

The six of them, Selphie, Squall, Zell, Ellone, Harry and Quistis raised their glasses in a toast. Then, Zell said, "I'd also like to propose a toast. To Quistis Trepe, the best damn Instructor Garden ever had, despite what those douches in Garden Faculty and that idiot Seifer think!"

Another toast. The others had been told about Quistis' dismissal, and they were showing solidarity behind their former Instructor (in Zell and Squall's case, anyway, with Selphie and Ellone supporting Quistis on principle). Squall shook his head afterwards, as he took a sip of his champagne. "Politics," spitting the word out as if it were an expletive, or a foul-tasting morsel of food.

"A sad fact of life, Squall. Life is populated by them," Ellone remarked philosophically.

Squall scoffed. "It doesn't mean I have to like it. I may have had my disagreements with Instructor…I mean, Quistis, but it had little to do with her competency or professional conduct."

"He gets a bit snappy when I try to draw him out of his shell," Quistis clarified.

Squall rolled his eyes. "Whatever. My point is, Quistis should not have had to suffer this fate because some idiots with power dislike her and her relationship with Harry. She's his Lady-Knight, for Hyne's sake! Are they trying to provoke you into doing something rash, Harry?"

"If it means removing Dad from control of Balamb Garden, I wouldn't be surprised," Harry said. "Anyway, you're hardly the one to talk about provocation, Mr I-Can't-Back-Down-From-A-Fight."

Once more, Squall rolled his eyes and muttered a sullen, "Whatever."

After a while, Harry then looked at Ellone. "Sis, you gonna tell Squall that you knew his parents?"

Ellone flinched, a little embarrassed. Squall looked at Ellone with a raised eyebrow, but his expression merely showed some interest. After a moment, Ellone said, "I should really tell you, Squall, that your mother, your birth mother, was the one who raised me until shortly after you were born. She died of illness, and we were sent to the Kramer Oprhanage by the people of Winhill, who didn't even bother to contact your father. It would have been difficult, but they never even tried."

"Who were they?" Squall asked.

"Your mother was Raine Leonhart," Ellone said. "You look more like her. She was like a mother to me, too."

"And my father?"

"The current President of Esthar. Between that and the radio interference, you could probably understand why he hasn't contacted you."

"Hmph," Squall emitted, before subsiding. "Esthar being isolationist since Adel disappeared, of course."

"He didn't do so out of any malice, Squall. He came to Esthar to rescue me, and sent me back home to Winhill. He was the one to overthrow Adel, and basically got conscripted into being President of Esthar by the resistance."

"Hmph." Squall then looked up to the sky through the glass ceiling of the Ballroom, as did the others. They saw a shooting star briefly. Harry was the first to look down, and saw Rinoa in a party dress. When she saw them looking at her, she pointed at the sky cheekily. She had seen the shooting star too. She then walked over.

"How're you enjoying things, Rinoa?" Harry asked.

"Haven't been to one of these things for a long time," she said. "Not since I left my father, anyway. I've talked to your father, by the way. We've nearly got something sorted out." She looked at the others. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

"Oh, right. Guys, this is Rinoa Heartilly, a key member of one of the Timber resistance groups and a possible client of Balamb Garden. Rinoa, this young woman is our big sister, Ellone. This elegant beauty is my Lady-Knight, Quistis Trepe. That cute bundle of energy is Selphie Tilmitt. The guy with the rooster hairdo is Zell Dincht. And that cheerful fellow with the scar is Squall Leonhart."

Rinoa giggled. "You're the best guy here, Squall. Well, who's not taken, anyway. Dance with me?"

Squall didn't reply.

Rinoa tutted. "Let me guess, you only dance with people you like? Okay then…" She began waving her hand mystically in front of his face. As she did so, Harry got the small camera in his pocket ready to pull out. "Look into my eyes," Rinoa intoned like some cut-price mesmerist. "You're-going-to-like-me…you're-going-to-like-meeeee…" After a moment, she asked, "Did it work?"

Squall muttered, "I can't dance."

"You'll be fine!" Rinoa said, grabbing onto Squall's hand. "Come on! I need someone to dance with!"

Harry pulled out the camera just as Rinoa began yanking Squall out onto the dancefloor. When Squall noticed the camera, he snarled at Harry, half in annoyance and half in jest, "Traitor!" Harry merely laughed, and snapped photos.

Squall took a moment to get used to dancing with Rinoa, but once a few awkward moments were over, he did so quite expertly with her.

"Now, how come you won't dance with me at these functions, Harry?" Quistis asked, albeit facetiously, as Harry handed the camera to Selphie.

"Remember the last time I danced?" Harry asked. "They called my dance the 'Road Accident', because it was horrific and awful and had limbs going everywhere, but nobody could stop watching it(1)."

Quistis giggled. "Oh yes, that's right." She then whispered in his ear, "Anyway, I know that the best dances you can do are of the horizontal kind."

"Ooh, is that an invitation, Quisty?" Harry whispered back.

"Maybe."

Eventually, Squall and Rinoa came back, Squall looking slightly flustered and embarrassed. He glared at Harry, who shrugged unapologetically. "Call it remedial dance training."

Squall's glare, if anything, intensified. Ellone giggled, despite herself. "Come on, Squall, lighten up," she said.

"Great. I'm getting double-teamed by the 'Cheer Squall Up' brigade whether I want to or not," Squall remarked. A faint, albeit cynical and reluctant, smile crossed his face at that.

"Guys, maybe we don't want to make him smile," Zell said. "I mean, there's a rumour going 'round Balamb Garden that every time he smiles, a puppy dies."

Squall then gave a broad, malicious grin, and Selphie wailed, "OH NO! IT'S THE PUPPYPOCALYPSE(2)!"

Squall chuckled at that, along with a few of the others. It only went to show, even the taciturn young SeeD had a sense of humour.

* * *

The evening went well after that, despite the pall placed over it by Quistis' demotion. Eventually, Harry and Quistis retired for the night. They didn't make love that night, despite Quistis' earlier comments. Instead, Quistis found what comfort she could in Harry's embrace as they lay in bed. The bond between Sorceress and Knight (or in this case, Sorcerer and Lady-Knight) went both ways. He liked to think he gave Quistis strength as much as she gave him strength.

However, during the night, he had an odd dream. He seemed to be flying above a darkened version of the world, one that seemed…different, somehow. He found himself flying towards a vast castle in the sky, connected to the ground only by a series of massive chains. It was a beautiful, and yet sinister place, like the stereotypical home of many a villain. Including a Sorceress.

Through the castle he flew, past monsters set to guard parts of the castle. Eventually, he came to a massive throne room, where a woman sat on a throne, contemplating a device next to her.

Her age was hard to determine, though Harry might have guessed she was in her twenties, perhaps even her thirties. But she seemed to be a Sorceress, and many aged slowly if at all. Her silver hair was swept out into diabolical points, her visible flesh covered in elaborate tattoos, or were they birthmarks? Her eyes were a beautiful but baleful gold. She was dressed in a revealing red dress, open to her neckline. When she spoke, her voice was a sultry purr with a thick accent. Her hands were like bestial talons. Her bare feet were, if anything, even more bestial, almost like the paws of a big cat.

"So…it seems that there is another Descendant of Hyne who is linked to the cursed SeeDs," she murmured. "And a man, a rare Sorcerer to boot. A shame the signal is so…weak? No, just strange. Otherwise, I would have used the Junction Machine Ellone on him instead." She frowned as she looked at a readout on the machine. "That's odd. Some sort of strange feedback…" She looked up to the sky this throne room was open to, only to blink in surprise, her eyes coming down until they met Harry's own.

 _Oh shit, she can see me_ , Harry thought. Rather lamely, he waved his hand, and said "Hi." As she continued to stare at him, he said, "Umm, nice throne room. But don't you get wet when it rains? I mean, there's no roof."

The Sorceress blinked, before she stood, revealing that what Harry thought was some sort of weird feathered trimming to the gown she wore was actually a pair of black wings. She peered at him appraisingly. Eventually, she said, "So that was what the feedback was. I didn't think it was possible." She then went back to the machine. She then looked at him. "Go back to Garden, _traitor_. I did not start this war, no matter what you think, but I will finish it. Remember, it was SeeD who forced me to do this." She then flicked the switch.

An interlude of oblivion. And then, Harry was waking up, his arms around Quistis. He wondered, briefly, what that was all about. He nearly dismissed it as merely a dream, save that he remembered a few things. The first was that she had mentioned Junction Machine Ellone. The second was that she blamed SeeD and Garden for her plight.

If it was no mere delusion, he had just seen their enemy. The one that, if his theory was correct, was the Sorceress controlling his mother. Perhaps he had just seen Adel…or another Sorceress.

 **CHAPTER 4 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **A variation on the post-Field Exam events, along with a bit of foreshadowing. Hope you enjoyed.**

 **1\. I based this on a stage direction from the script of episode 3 (** ** _Party_** **) of the second series of** ** _The Office_** **, the original UK version. Namely, that of the dance David Brent does.**

 **2\. A variation of a joke about Seto Kaiba rather than Squall from** ** _Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series_** **. Seriously, it's a good joke.**


	6. Chapter 5: Stop Seifer!

**CHAPTER 5:**

 **STOP SEIFER!**

Harry peered at the photo in disgust. It was hard to believe that the person in the photo was a woman, let alone remotely human. The figure was immensely tall (Harry guessed maybe five or six metres, given the other people in the photo that helped give some scale), blue-skinned, the torso with the musculature of a bodybuilding man rather than anything remotely feminine. The long red hair grew from a vaguely feminine but utterly cruel face. If Adel looked like that from a young age, Harry reflected, it was no wonder the infamous Sorceress of Esthar had such a chip on her shoulder.

He shook his head. "That's definitely not who I saw last night."

"That's one of the few confirmed photos of Adel we have," Cid said. "Other than her propaganda. Could you sketch the woman you saw?"

Harry nodded, and took the paper and pencil proffered, being a half-decent sketch artist. He was currently sitting in his father's office, alongside Quistis. Squall, Zell, and Selphie had been sent out early in the morning to Timber, presumably to act as Rinoa's hired SeeDs. It was now just past lunchtime.

As he sketched a drawing, Quistis said, "Are you sure it wasn't just a dream?"

"I can't be sure either way," Harry said. "And given that this 'Junction Machine Ellone' thing was something Mum wrote of, well, I have to be sure. The Sorceress in my dream said she didn't start this war, no matter what we thought, SeeD forced her into it, and that she would finish it."

"Rather perturbing," Cid said as the lift behind them whirred into life. "Assuming it was no dream, and rather, some sort of connection with whoever is trying to possess Edea. I would ask Ellone to discuss this with us, but when she learned of Squall and the others leaving for Timber, she asked to be left alone for a few hours."

"I'm fine now," Ellone said, emerging from the lift. "Sorry, I needed some time to myself."

Harry, turning to face Ellone, frowned. "Did you use your powers?"

After a moment, Ellone nodded. "Enough to show them a snapshot from Uncle Laguna and his comrade's early career. After last night, I'm not sure whether I will be able to change things, for better or for worse. But I can at least show Squall his parents, and I can see things for myself. They saw Uncle Laguna meet his crush, a singer called Julia Heartilly."

"Wait a moment…Heartilly…that's Rinoa's last name."

Ellone nodded. "I did a quick bit of research just before I came up here. Julia Heartilly eventually married Fury Caraway. Julia is Rinoa's mother. It seems that Rinoa, though she was not from the Kramer Orphanage, has a tenuous connection to Squall, at least, via Uncle Laguna. Laguna was sent off and disappeared. It was then that Julia was comforted by Caraway, and then got into a relationship. _Eyes on Me_ was dedicated to Uncle Laguna."

Harry nodded, before saying, "I had a weird dream last night. Of a Sorceress using something called Junction Machine Ellone. Apparently she isn't Adel." He finished the quick sketch, and showed it to the others.

Cid peered at the drawing, before shaking his head. "I haven't seen her."

"Neither have I," Quistis said.

"Nor me," Ellone said. "But still…what colour was her eyes?"

"Gold."

"Hmm. Sometimes Matron's eyes would turn gold during the period leading to her disappearance. And Harry, you said you saw this woman in what felt like a dream, right?" On Harry's nod, Ellone said, "Those junctioned by my powers experience the past in a sort of vivid dream state. It feels very real."

"There's something obvious we are missing here," Quistis said. "Matron wrote about Junction Machine Ellone, a machine that this mystery Sorceress was using."

"What of it?" Harry asked.

"Well, don't you see? Ellone's powers, as far as I know, reach into the past, am I correct?" Quistis queried, looking at Ellone.

Ellone nodded. "But…that implies that the Sorceress using it…"

"Comes from the future," Harry murmured, coming to that very realisation.

"But…is that possible?" Quistis asked.

"If the machine emulates my powers, then it is possible. But whatever time in the future could be anything from a few minutes to centuries, even millennia. I've never really tested the limit of my powers, but Doctor Odine, at the time, claimed I could send people back that far if I tried."

Cid, after a moment, suddenly seemed to realise something else. He then looked at the sketch again. "…Harry, what colour was her clothing and hair?"

"The gown was red, and her hair was silver. Why?"

Cid scowled. "I haven't seen her before…but I know who has. Edea."

"What?"

Cid took off his glasses, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I only learned about this later. Squall disappeared one day, saying he wanted to find Ellone, who was off elsewhere. As Edea ran out to find him, she encountered someone who claimed to be a SeeD from the future. Indeed, she claimed later that he seemed to be a much older Squall. Then, suddenly, a Sorceress in a red gown, with silver hair and golden eyes appeared. She was dying, but needed someone to pass on her powers to, lest she live perpetually on the edge of death, in pure agony. Your mother took on those powers, worried about them passing on to the children, or even you. Squall as a child came back during the process. The SeeD from the future, Squall or not, disappeared afterwards."

Harry frowned. "So something happened in the future, and this Sorceress died, passing on her powers to Edea. Maybe that's how the possession could take place."

"I've no idea," Cid admitted. "But even so, you have to admit that this is…" Suddenly, the lift, which had gone down partway through Cid's explanation, came back up again. A Garden Faculty member, looking harassed and harried, came through. "What's wrong?" Cid asked.

"Headmaster Cid," the man said, flustered and limping. Harry thought they looked all alike, though a few, like this one (they never gave their names or showed their faces) was one of the nicer ones. "Seifer has just escaped from the discipline room. Raijin and Fujin told him of Leonhart and his squad being assigned to the Heartilly contract in Timber. His words were, ' _WHAT?! But they might end up fightin' the whole Galbadian force! And all they dispatch are three rookies?! Dammit, I'm going to Timber!_ ' He has injured two of the Faculty, and SeeD Instructor Xu. He's heading for Balamb in a stolen car, and he has bypassed the anti-theft features!"

"Are the injured all right?" Cid asked.

"Doctor Kadowaki is looking after them now," the Faculty member said. "Xu has lacerations to her arm from Seifer's gunblade, while the Faculty members have assorted injuries. Nothing truly serious. Headmaster, what are your orders?"

Cid looked at the Faculty member. "Try to intercept him at Balamb before he leaves! If he manages to leave Balamb, then I will have to send SeeDs after him to capture him!" He then got up from the desk, and walked over to the Faculty member. "Tell your colleagues, as well as Norg, that this is their fault for indulging him!"

"I'm not stupid, Headmaster, but I'm not suicidal either," the Faculty member said. "You want Norg to know this? Tell him yourself!" He then went into the lift, and descended.

"Who'll be sent to intercept him?" Ellone asked.

"Harry, can you use your teleport ability, this Apparition which Jormungand taught you, to get to Timber?" Cid asked.

Harry nodded. "I went there once before to relax after my Field Exam, remember? Plus, I wanted to see the Timber Maniacs company. I can Apparate to a corner of the train station. The train only takes an hour to get there."

"Very well. I want you and Quistis to intercept Seifer! If you need help from Squall and the others, you have permission."

About fifteen minutes later, they received word that Seifer had managed to board the train to Timber. Cursing, Harry grabbed onto Quistis, and looked at Ellone. "Sorry we couldn't talk more, Ellone. I promise, I'll find out exactly who is controlling Mum."

Ellone nodded. "Don't worry, I trust you. Good luck."

Harry and Quistis nodded, before Harry concentrated. With a _crack!_ that echoed around Cid's office, they were gone…

* * *

…only to reappear at Timber train station, in a remote corner. Thankfully, the noise upon exiting was minimal. And just as well. It was early afternoon, but Timber was crawling with more G-Army soldiers than Harry thought was usual. Thankfully, Cid had the wherewithal to provide some papers before the two SeeDs left.

When they emerged from behind a ticket kiosk, a couple of Galbadian troops approached them. "Halt! What business do you have here?"

"Two SeeDs, Harry Kramer and Quistis Trepe, looking to intercept a rogue SeeD cadet from Balamb," Harry said, holding out the papers.

The leader frowned beneath his helmet as he checked the papers. "Hmm. Okay. You'd better not cause any trouble. We've had one of the resistance groups try to kidnap the President about an hour ago. Hence the state of alert."

"It's the rogue SeeD we are worried about," Quistis said. She handed a photo over. "Seifer Almasy, 18 years old. That photo's an older one. He recently acquired a wound caused by a gunblade across his face." Quistis drew her finger down her face diagonally. "We were in Timber when we were told about Seifer's escape from his punishment." A lie, but how else could they say they were here before him? "We just received communications via email."

"Why were you in Timber?" the man asked suspiciously.

"We're visiting friends while on holiday," Harry lied. "Garden knew we were around. Bloody Garden, cutting our holiday short."

The soldier nodded, before handing the photo back. "If he is a rogue SeeD, we will help you catch him. I would suggest being careful. The President is in town."

"Why's that?" Harry asked.

"Dunno the full details, but apparently he's making some announcement to the world. Apparently they want to use that big dish in Dollet to transmit from the TV studio here in Timber to anyone who doesn't have HD cable networks. That's part of the reason security's so tight. There's more resistance groups here than there's trees around here anymore," the soldier said with a shrug.

* * *

About an hour later, the train from Balamb arrived. Harry, Quistis, and the Galbadian officer (who was called Leo, of all things(1), and expressed a dislike of Deling, who admittedly wasn't liked even by the general populace of Galbadia), looked on as the G-Army soldiers began checking the passengers disembarking, as well as beginning to search the train. Harry and Quistis' eyes, however, were caught by some movement on the roof. Seifer must've gotten onto the roof after the train got out of the undersea tunnel or as the train was pulling in.

"Seifer!" Quistis yelled. "Surrender!"

"Never!" Seifer roared. "You chose the wrong people to help Rinoa!"

"Cadet Almasy," Leo said. "Surrender immediately. Timber is on a high state of alert due to President Deling's upcoming broadcast. If you do not comply, my soldiers will shoot to kill."

Seifer sneered. "They can try!" With that, he leapt down, and slashed aside the soldiers with his gunblade, Hyperion. As he dashed away, he yelled, "I'm going to give Rinoa her best present, live on international TV!"

"Shit, he's heading to the studios," Quistis swore, a rare occurrence for her. "Come on!"

* * *

Quistis, Harry, and Leo gave chase through the streets of Timber. Seifer cut down any soldier stupid enough to get in his way. He didn't seem to care that this might not just end in his imprisonment, but also his execution, by the Galbadians. He was on some suicidal death-or-glory course. And Harry guessed what it was: assassinating Deling live on TV, or else holding him hostage and demanding the liberation of Timber.

Harry had his own weapon ready, a telescoping rod with a special focus crystal on it. Useful for magic and beating someone. Quistis had her whip. Harry shot spells, designed to stun or restrain Seifer, but the belligerent SeeD dodged.

But they were too late. They heard the beginnings of the broadcast on a few gigantic TVs of the TV studio. After an assistant began a preamble, they heard the resonant, charismatic voice of the otherwise dumpy and unimpressive Vinzer Deling. And while Harry would have loved nothing more than to see the man dead, the sad truth was, if he was killed, it would mean reprisals for his murderer and those related to them. He was known for his policy of disproportionate retribution, something apparently much of the G-Army and the citizens of Galbadia hated too. But he was a good speaker, if little else.

As they burst into the studio, hot on Seifer's heels, they heard him say, " _We, the people of this world, have the power to end all wars. Unfortunately, there are trifling problems standing between Galbadia and other nations._ " Seifer knocked over a vase as he burst into the studio proper where Deling was giving his speech. A guard managed to restrain him for a few seconds, long enough for Deling to say (and now, Harry and Quistis could see the man in the studio), "I plan to convene with the leaders of the other nations immediately to resolve these problems. At this time, allow me to introduce the ambassador who will be my representative at this conference. The ambassador is the Sorceress…"

Suddenly, with a roar, Seifer broke free, and dashed into the studio. More soldiers tried to restrain him, but he batted them away, before holding his gunblade on the President. "You've got yet another 'trifling problem', President," he sneered.

Quistis dashed forward. "Stay back! For the last time, stay back! You're only going to provoke him!" she yelled at the Galbadian guards as Seifer began manhandling Deling away. "Harry, summon the others, use the camera!"

Harry nodded, before running to the camera. "Timber team! Squall, Zell, Selphie! If you're watching, get here now! You have permission!" He then whirled, and advanced on Deling and Seifer.

"You think you can hit me with your little spells?" Seifer hissed at Harry from behind Deling. "I'll kill him, even if you manage it."

"You stupid bastard," Harry snarled, not in the mood for hostage negotiation. He then put his palm out. "EXPELLIARMUS!" he snarled.

The gunblade was torn from Seifer's grasp, while he and the President were flung backwards. Another spell Jormungand had taught him, albeit one the GF never used when he was Voldemort. Seifer scrambled to his feet, Deling still caught in a vicious grip across the throat. "Nice try, but I don't need my gunblade," Seifer sneered.

Squall, Zell and Selphie burst in. "What do you think you're doing?" Squall demanded.

"Giving Rinoa a nice little present," Seifer sneered.

Deling frowned. "General Caraway's daughter?"

"That's not the point, sir," Harry said. He was going to take a risk with what he was going to say next. "Seifer is a rogue element. He's a SeeD cadet acting without orders, without any authorisation from Garden."

"That had better be true, for your sakes, or the G-Army will crush the Gardens if I die," Deling said.

"You stupid bastard," Seifer sneered, as he began backing out of the studio, into a backstage area. "The hot-shot Serpent Sorcerer of Balamb Garden…you only got anywhere because of Daddy!"

Harry, Quistis, and Squall's squad followed him, a backstage area laced with curtains and cables. Then, suddenly, a strange, elegant figure in a long, black gown, and wearing a red mask and dark elaborate skullcap, appeared. The very air seemed to change. "Poor, poor boy," she murmured in a voice that sounded horrifyingly familiar to Harry. And yet, it spoke so very differently, with a harsh accent. His mother's voice, but speaking in a very different way.

"Stay away from me!" Seifer snarled.

"Such a confused little boy," the woman said. "Are you going to step forward? Retreat? You have to decide."

"STAY BACK!" Seifer yelled.

Quistis, who had begun to approach, said, "Ma'am, he's dangerous." Suddenly, she was pushed into the wall by a force. Harry dashed over, and found her dazed and stunned, but otherwise unhurt.

"Not to me," the woman said.

Harry felt a force blast at him, but he weathered it. "You're the Sorceress, aren't you?" he said.

The woman's masked face looked at him. "And you're the Serpent Sorcerer."

"You don't recognise me, do you, Mum?" Harry asked. He gestured for Squall and the others to hold back.

"Mum? This is the Sorceress Edea!" Deling said.

"Yes. My mother," Harry said. "Or maybe not."

Edea, or rather, the Sorceress controlling her, chuckled. She then turned her attention back to Seifer. "The boy in you is telling you to come hither. The man in you is telling you to back away. A mind caught in conflict, the agony of choice. You want help, don't you? Salvation from this predicament."

"SHUT UP!" Seifer howled.

"Don't be ashamed to ask for help…little boy."

"Stop. Calling. Me. A _boy_. Or your President gets it," Seifer hissed.

"If you're not a little boy anymore," the Sorceress said, "let him go. And come with me, to a place of no return, to a place of childhood's end."

After a moment, Seifer thrust Deling away from him. Deling ran away, Squall and his comrades helping him down the stairs. But as Seifer was gently escorted through a portal, Harry yelled, "Wait!" The Sorceress turned to face him, and he decided to go with a hunch. That other name aside from Adel his mother had written of. "We meet again… _Ultimecia._ "

The Sorceress certainly reacted. If her face was showing, Harry was sure that his mother's face would have eyes wide and a gaping mouth. Then, after a moment, she said, "Yes, we do… _traitor_."

"You're wearing my mother's body," Harry said with a scowl.

"Yes. Do you have the wherewithal to attack your own mother?"

"Who said I wanted to attack?"

"That's all SeeD and their ilk do," she sneered from beneath her mask. "But you know little. And I will enjoy watching you thrash around in impotence. Farewell, Serpent Sorcerer. We _will_ meet again." Then, she vanished into the portal.

Rinoa chose that moment to dash in, followed closely by a beautiful-looking dog. Harry remembered her mentioning Angelo, her dog. "Guys! Where's Seifer?"

"The party's over," Harry said, as Squall and the others walked over.

"The base was destroyed," Rinoa said to Squall and the others. "I had to make sure everyone was all right. Thankfully, they are."

"We'll have to get moving," Quistis said, getting to her feet. "It was a risk telling Deling Seifer was a rogue SeeD, and we may have to leave Timber."

Rinoa nodded. "It's probably for the best if we find somewhere safe to lay low. Squall, can you take me there? Consider this an order from your client."

Squall nodded. "Alright. Let's go."

As they made to leave, Quistis looked at Harry. "That was Matron, wasn't it?" she asked. "But…possessed. I heard that name you used…Ultimecia. That's her, isn't it?"

Harry nodded. "Ultimecia is using _my mother_ as a meat-suit. And I don't think she was taking Seifer off to kill him, don't you?"

The question hung in the air as they left the TV studio. Even as one disaster was averted, it felt like another was just on the horizon…

 **CHAPTER 5 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **And there you have it. Harry has met his mother again…and Ultimecia.**

 **1\. After the general from** ** _Final Fantasy VI_** **.**


	7. Chapter 6: Strange Events

**CHAPTER 6:**

 **STRANGE EVENTS**

Squall looked at Harry. They were currently hiding out in a house that was the home to the leader of the Forest Foxes. "So you're telling me that Edea Kramer, the Headmaster's wife and your mother, is being possessed by a Sorceress from the future, one who may be called Ultimecia?"

"Yeah, I know it sounds crazy."

"Talking of crazy, we had the same dream coming here," Selphie said. "We were Galbadian soldiers."

Zell nodded. "Had to be at least 17 years ago, 'cause Timber was still fighting. It felt so real."

"I was a moron by the name of Laguna Loire," Squall said with a scowl. "So we've heard crazier."

Harry decided not to tell them about Ellone yet. Instead, he said, "It's a not unrelated phenomenon. But of more concern is this." Rinoa was downstairs, so he asked, "How's the mission so far?"

"They've got us as gofers," Squall scowled. He then explained what happened, and Rinoa's admittedly harebrained schemes. Harry scowled a little himself when he heard what the contract entailed: basically staying with Rinoa until Timber was liberated.

"Dad's got a big heart, but that's a bit much." Harry sighed. "Don't get me wrong, that train plot was pretty cool, but she didn't seem to have an 'and then what?' scenario. Deling would have wiped the Timber Owls out if he was ever threatened by them."

"You're _mean_ ," Rinoa pouted, coming in, having clearly heard part of it.

"I'm a realist. I'm not as dour as Squall here, but like I told you when we first met, Timber won't be liberated overnight," he said. "And thanks to Seifer, you've got even more pressure on you guys."

"He's probably already dead," Squall scowled.

"How can you be so casual?" Rinoa asked, shocked.

"I don't think he's dead," Harry said. "The way Ultimecia spoke, it was like she was recruiting him, despite the fact that he attacked Deling."

"Ultimecia?" Rinoa asked. "Do you mean the Sorceress?"

"Yeah." Harry walked over to Rinoa. "Things have gotten complicated. Ultimecia is the Sorceress, but she's possessing the body of my mother, Edea. I know that sounds insane, but this is the reality of the situation. Seifer may not be dead. But the truth is, he may become our enemy the next time we meet."

Rinoa scowled, but as she did so, she said, "Deling said that the Sorceress was his ambassador. That doesn't sound good."

"Sorceresses are feared," Harry said. "Especially after Adel waged war on the world. She's no ambassador, Deling wants to use her as a one-woman weapon of mass destruction, as a deterrent. We've got to get out of here and report."

Quistis folded her arms. "Getting out of here is only the first step. We may not be able to head back to Balamb Garden with the trains to Balamb closed. We could use Harry's Apparition, but he would have to make multiple trips, and it might attract attention. Only train lines across this continent will remain open. Therefore, I believe our next step is to follow Article 8, Line 7 of the Garden Code."

Squall frowned. " _In the event that returning to the assigned Garden is not possible_ …" he recited. He then nodded. "I see. We report to the nearest Garden."

Harry tapped his lips. "That's Galbadia Garden, right?"

Rinoa nodded. "We can take the train to the East Academy station. We'd have to go through a forest to the west between two mountains, and then we're there. It'll be safer for me and the Timber Owls to leave Timber until the heat is off."

"I've got an idea," Harry said. "I'll head back to Balamb by Apparition, tell Dad what has happened, in case the Galbadians get shirty. I'll then go to Galbadia Garden and wait for you guys there. Is that okay?"

Quistis nodded. "It's a plan."

* * *

He made it back to Balamb, and told Cid of what had happened. Cid sighed, but conceded that telling Deling that Seifer was a rogue SeeD cadet probably helped prevent the worst of the fallout. They also discussed what Harry learned, that Edea was indeed being controlled, and by a Sorceress answering to the name of Ultimecia. And Seifer may have been conscripted by Ultimecia.

"Already, Martine of Galbadia Garden has been discussing plans with me," Cid said. "They believe that the Sorceress will usurp Deling, and begin a reign of terror. General Caraway of the Galbadian Military shares that concern."

"Rinoa's father," Harry mused.

"Yes. They're reaching out covert feelers, to see if I can help them…assassinate the Sorceress," Cid said. "They don't know that Edea is my wife. And I don't think they will believe the possession story. Which means…"

"We're going to have to kill Mum, aren't we?"

"Yes. I don't want to do so, if there's a chance to remove Ultimecia's control, but…even if I refuse, I know Martine will go ahead," Cid said.

After a moment, Harry said, "I'll go on the mission. Maybe I can persuade Ultimecia to negotiate, even leave Mum alone. Ultimecia seems to believe she was wronged by SeeD."

"Even so, I think you have to be prepared for the worst, Harry." As Harry scowled, he said, "This is not easy for either of us. I don't want this to happen any more than you do. But I agree that you should try to negotiate first. Find out what she wants, see if she will give any concessions. Because Deling may think she's on his leash, but in truth, Adel has shown a Sorceress can rule a country by themselves."

* * *

After some more discussion, Harry Apparated to the outskirts of Galbadia Garden. He was going to wait for Squall and the others. However, even as he waited, he felt strangely sleepy.

Suddenly, a veil of darkness descended around him. And then…

* * *

…He was elsewhere, Ellone sitting next to him. And she seemed surprised to see him. "Oh, Harry! I must've gotten you by accident. I only meant to junction Squall, Quistis, and Selphie!"

Harry blinked, before he looked down on events below. He saw a young man with long dark hair and a cheerful, handsome face, a dark-skinned man with a serene nature, and a bulky man with a scarred face and a blue bandanna. "Ellone…is that Laguna?"

"Yes. Uncle Laguna, along with Uncle Kiros and Uncle Ward," she said. "Eighteen or so years ago, when they ended up at a Centra excavation site funded by Esthar. When Adel was looking to control the Lunar Cry with what became the Lunatic Pandora."

Harry watched as Laguna admitted to being lost, and they ended up fighting Esthar soldiers in their sleek battlesuits. "So, Squall and the others are experiencing this?"

"Yes. We're just watching this."

Harry watched, and muttered, as Laguna went through various antics, "Wish we had popcorn. How'd Squall react, knowing this was actually his father? I reckon he'd go spare."

A sibilant voice chuckled, before saying, " _Laguna Loire is indeed a buffoon. He is a clown, and not a good one. He fights adequately, true, but he is an imbecile, even by Muggle standards._ "

As a massive snake head, the size of a small car, hove in between them, its eyes red and its scales a pale whitish-green, Ellone looked at it in some apprehension. "Uhhh…"

Harry was remarkably unconcerned. "Ah, yes. Ellone, you already knew of Jormungand. This is him."

"Oh, your innate GF."

"And the former soul fragment of an evil wizard called Lord Voldemort, aka Tom Marvolo Riddle. Murderer of my birth parents, noted megalomaniacal bigot, and all-round wanker. Now he's my personal summon creature for the rest of my life. What's the saying? Karma's a bitch, and she's in heat."

Jormungand rolled his eyes. " _Laugh it up, Potter. Your mother was a Mudblood, and your father smelt of dungbombs(_ _1)_."

Harry swatted Jormungand's snout. "Bad Jormungand! No ice-cream for you!"

Ellone blinked in confusion. "Uhhh…"

"Oh, right. Did my parents ever tell you I came from another world?"

Ellone nodded. "Edea spoke of it. You talked to her about it, and what you learned from Jormungand. I didn't know you had your birth parents' murderer in your head, though. What's a Mudblood?"

Another swat of Harry's hand prevented Jormungand from explaining things his way. "Back home, Sorcerers and Sorceresses are hidden, known as wizards and witches. They don't pass on their powers from one to the other like Sorcerers or Sorceresses normally do, either. It's genetic rather than transferred. Anyway, a Mudblood is a derogatory term for a mage born to people who haven't shown any magic ability, though odds are, they got the genes from somewhere. Jormungand was basically a racist nutjob who wanted to murder mundane people and the first-generation mages. My mother was a first-generation mage, and my father, though one of the Purebloods, was what Jormungand here called a 'blood-traitor'. Of course, incest and inbreeding leads to Hyne knows how many diseases and crap. Isn't that right, Jormungand? You showed me your memories of that uncle you framed for your own act of patricide."

" _Morfin was an inbred imbecile_ ," Jormungand muttered. " _Azkaban was what he deserved._ "

"Not to put too fine a point on it, Jormungand, but frankly, you deserve the Dementor's Kiss. Now, hush. I want to watch the movie."

They watched Laguna and his friends have misadventures in the Crystal Pillar that would become the Lunatic Pandora. Rumour had it that the Lunatic Pandora was an Esthar superweapon that could be used to induce the Lunar Cry in a specific area of the world, allowing monsters from the moon to rain down upon the world. The only known usage of the superweapon was near the location of what became Trabia Garden. A massive crater, once said to be filled to the brim with monsters, was caused some years ago.

During the last battles, Laguna, Kiros, and Ward escaped off a cliff, albeit with Laguna throwing his comrades off it, and then following by accidentally falling off himself while he was psyching himself up to do so. "That's gonna leave a mark," Harry remarked with a wince.

Jormungand snickered. " _Imbecile of a Muggle._ " When Harry swatted his head again, Jormungand glared at Harry. " _Flog your snake too much, and you'll go blind._ "

"That was rather profane," Ellone remarked. "I see where you get it from."

"Oh, I got the potty mouth on my own, despite my parents' best efforts. Jormungand merely supplied me with some of the vocabulary," Harry said. "Besides, trapped in my noggin? What can he do but be profane?"

" _True. But it's not uncomfortable. There's so much empty space in here, after all_ ," Jormungand remarked.

"Okay, you, back to your cage," Harry snapped irritably, before waving a hand. Jormungand's head was flung back with an indignant snarl, followed closely by a series of loud clatterings, as if the massive snake had hit a pile of cooking equipment.

Ellone chuckled, despite herself. Then, she became solemn again. "I'd better let you go now."

Harry nodded, but he said, "Ellone, I've confirmed that it's not Adel possessing Mum. It's Ultimecia. The one from my dream, I think. And…Cid's thinking that Galbadia Garden is planning on killing her. I'm going to try and persuade Ultimecia to free Mum, but if not…"

Ellone got a solemn look. "I understand."

* * *

Harry woke from Ellone's induced dream to find himself being shaken awake. "Hey, are you all right?" the brown-haired guy about his age asked. His hair was done back in a ponytail, his face a cocky and handsome one, currently creased in concern. His clothing reminded Harry of images of cowboys.

And what was more, he knew him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just had a weird bit of narcolepsy," Harry said, getting to his feet. He looked at the young man. "I know you, don't I? Aren't you Irvine Kinneas?"

"Yeah, that's me! I thought I recognised you! Harry Kramer!" Irvine held out his hand, and Harry shook it.

"Lemme guess, you haven't used GFs?" Harry asked.

"Not really. Not much call for them in sniper training. Why?"

"Well, the rest of the Old Orphanage Crowd are coming soon," Harry explained. "But, well, they've junctioned GFs, and only two have kept diaries, as far as I know, so they may not remember you. Squall, Quistis, Selphie and Zell. They're coming with one of the Timber Owls, Rinoa Heartilly."

"Yeah, I saw that live TV broadcast. I was sure that was Seifer attacking Deling and Quistis and you guys getting involved. So the rumours about GFs affecting memories are true?"

"Yeah. Although the one in my skull hasn't affected it much. Irvine…we're in trouble. Not just because Seifer attacked Deling, either. You remember my mother?"

Irvine nodded. "Matron…Edea."

"Irvine…someone's possessing her. She's the Sorceress Deling's intending to use as his big fucking stick. But whoever's possessing her is using her for her own ends. Anyway, it's a long story. And we've got to wait for the others. They should be on their way before long."

Irvine nodded in agreement, and so they waited outside Galbadia as the sun began to set, waiting for their friends...

 **CHAPTER 6 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Harry's confronting the possibility that Edea may die, and had met Irvine again. Hope you enjoyed that, especially the byplay between Harry and Jormungand/Voldemort. If you don't like it, keep in mind that Harry and Jormungand have been speaking for much of their lives. As his GF, Jormungand can't act against him, so they have a sort of sarcastic banter thing going. They're not friends by any means, though what they have could be mistaken as friendship. It's more of a perverse camaraderie.**

 **Review-answering time!** **KaiserUltima** **: Yes, I have plans for him to be roped into the Goblet of Fire mess. Harry will be 21, at a time when he is meant to be 14, and he will represent Garden. And he will not change back into a wizard. In any case, a Sorceress/Sorcerer is basically a Potterverse mage with a lot more oomph. And while I won't consider a Harry/Fujin story at the moment, it might be something I come back to later. Much later.**

 **Mangahero18** **: I'm speaking on a psychological level.**

 **1\. Many of you will have gotten this. This is a variation on the Taunting Frenchman's most famous insult from** ** _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_** **. I can see Voldemort going to see it while in an odd mood, believe it or not.**


	8. Chapter 7: Death and Diplomacy

**CHAPTER 7:**

 **DEATH AND DIPLOMACY**

Once more, he had the dream of that castle in the sky, secured to the ground by chains. Once more, he drifted into the throne room. There, sitting on a throne, contemplating matters, was the Sorceress with the silver hair, shaped into horns from her temples. Her eyes were currently closed, but she was far from asleep. She was muttering to herself. "What a loyal child," she murmured. "But his recklessness might be a problem. Even so, Deling is more of a problem. How someone like him ended up as President of Galbadia, I have no idea. And the fool thinks I am his lackey." Her eyes flickered open, and the golden irises focused on Harry. "Speaking of fools…"

"Hey, you're the one who didn't read the user manual for that thing," Harry retorted. "I'm just the poor berk swept along for the ride."

The Sorceress stood, and peered at him. Eventually, she said, "I will have to adjust the Junction Machine Ellone to avoid this feedback. I don't need unwanted visitors."

"Debatably, that's what you are, Ultimecia," Harry said. He moved forward, wondering idly whether this was how ghosts felt. "So, turnabout's fair play, I guess. Look, so far, all you've done is taken my mother's body. It doesn't need to get any messier."

Ultimecia scoffed bitterly. "Of course it does. I've come too far for anything else."

"Ultimecia…just…return my mother to me. Please."

Ultimecia chuckled darkly. " _Please_ ," she echoed mockingly, and bitterly. "That's what I asked so many times of SeeD. Only a few stayed their hand, and those few were cut down by the rest. _Please_ does not bring the dead back to life. _Please_ never stays the hands of fanatics. Your mother gave birth to the very organisation that hounds me to this day. _Please_ forgive me for denying your desire for your mother's release. I have use for her."

"In petty revenge?"

Ultimecia scoffed, though Harry though he caught a glimpse of tears glistening in her eyes. "There is nothing petty about what I desire."

"I beg to differ."

"Beg all you want. It's all you have." It sounded like she was echoing words she had heard from her enemies many a time. And now, he knew that she was trying to hold back the tears.

"Do I?" Harry looked her in the eye. "I will find a way to save my mother. You shouldn't have been hurt by SeeD…but that doesn't mean I can let you hurt my mother, or my friends."

"I'd like to see you stop me."

"Ultimecia, think! I was told things that suggested it's your very actions that start SeeD! That, in a roundabout way, you started the very crusade that you blame on your predicament! If that's true, you're caught in a time loop. No matter what you do, you can't change history."

Ultimecia sneered. " _I will CHANGE IT(_ _1)_ _!_ " She then slammed her fist down on the machine next to her, and snarled, "Begone!"

* * *

Harry woke up, entangled in bedsheets, and in Quistis, her hair lying across her face. And that's when he remembered.

He had greeted Quistis and the others when they finally arrived, and they briefly discussed their latest 'Laguna dream'. Quistis and Squall remembered Irvine from their journals, but otherwise didn't remember him. Quistis went to see the authorities at Galbadia Garden, while the others were shown to a guest room. Quistis soon returned with perturbing news: Seifer had been held solely responsible for the attack on Deling, so while Garden was safe, Seifer was, according to the Galbadians, executed.

Harry had called bullshit: Ultimecia's little spiel in the studio sounded more like a recruitment speech. He and Squall had left the meeting, the latter having a minor freakout when people spoke of Seifer in the past tense, only to encounter Raijin and Fujin, who had managed to get there from Balamb Garden. They too disbelieved the Galbadian news of Seifer being executed, and resolved to track him down.

They were assigned guest quarters for the night, while Galbadia Garden finalised a new mission. Quistis and Harry got their own room, and the lovers had spent some time making love. Even now, Harry realised that they didn't use protection. He flinched. Quistis had expressed a desire to have a child, true, but later in life.

Still, he could see Quistis as a mother. She already had a somewhat maternal air to her students. Then again, thinking about Quistis as a mother reminded him of his own mother, and her predicament. Used as Ultimecia's puppet.

Quistis moaned and stirred, her eyes flickering open. "Harry…" she murmured.

"Morning," Harry said to Quistis. "You feeling any better?"

"Better rested, anyway." She stretched and yawned, before getting up, giving Harry the most marvellous view of her buttocks as she walked to the shower.

After they finished showering and dressing, Quistis said, "It doesn't matter."

"What doesn't?"

"That you and I didn't take…precautions last night. I was thinking about retiring from SeeD anyway. A child might be the best excuse."

"Wait, what? You don't mind?"

"That's assuming I get pregnant, anyway," Quistis said. "Looking after the students in Garden…it's like being a mother anyway. Harry, being an Instructor was much of my life. And I've discussed alternatives with Cid in the event that I don't want to be a full SeeD anymore. I may not be an Instructor, but I can help write the curriculum of Garden, analyse intelligence from our operatives on missions…with your mother gone, he has even suggested I may want to lead the White SeeDs. All of which I can do even with a child, never mind with you in tow. Doing fieldwork now is depressing, especially when you see things like the Timber Owls in action. Rinoa means well, but she hasn't thought things through enough."

"That fake train carriage plan was pretty neat," Harry said. "Audacious and bold and surprisingly intelligent. It's just the aftermath she didn't work out. Plus, she had Squall and the others doing a lot of donkey work." Harry sighed. "So…you're okay with it?"

"Yeah. But we shouldn't count our Chocobos before they've hatched, as you well know," Quistis said. "And we've still got to deal with this Ultimecia person."

Harry nodded, and described the dream to Quistis. Quistis looked pensive as she considered this. "At least we've confirmed that Ultimecia is the Sorceress in your dream, as well as the one possessing Edea."

"But I'm not sure whether she will listen to negotiations," Harry said. "She seems set on her path. And that seems to be changing the future, her present."

Quistis scowled. "And if what you told us about what Martine and General Caraway are planning is true…"

"Killing Mum may not stop Ultimecia," Harry said. "Her Sorceress Power will go to the nearest person with potential. And Ultimecia may have laid plans in advance. Never mind the fact that she could potentially use a barrier that could hinder an assassin."

"That's a risk they're going to take," Quistis said. "They think you and Cid are not objective in this matter, and they've dismissed the claims that Ultimecia is from the future. We can't corroborate that without risking Ellone's safety."

"Shit," Harry muttered. "So, do they think Edea's possessed, or has gone rogue?"

"Martine and Caraway are leaning towards the possessed theory. You told me about that theory you had that Adel was possessing her, right? Martine seems to have come to the same conclusion," Quistis said.

"And he's still going through with assassination?"

Quistis nodded. "Irvine will be our assigned sniper. But if he remembers the orphanage, and your mother…"

"We'd better go and see him," Harry muttered. "If it does come down to Irvine having to kill my mother, then I'd better make sure that he's going to go through with it."

* * *

Irvine shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, I understand why it needs to be done, but…this is Matron we're talking about here!" he said, looking at Harry. "Your mother!"

"I know. I don't like it either. But if I protest too much, Martine will remove me from this mission. What I'm thinking of doing is attempting a negotiation first. See if I can persuade Ultimecia to relinquish control. It's a long shot, and if it fails…you'll have to take the shot. Mum would rather die than be used to cause the death of everything she holds dear," Harry said, the words tasting foul in his mouth. He was trying to encourage Irvine to kill his own mother.

Irvine nodded, resignedly. "Shit," he muttered, turning around. They had found Irvine at the shooting range, practising, but with a haunted look in his features. That was when they talked to him about the mission.

"Irvine Kinneas, you are a SeeD," Quistis said. "A soldier, a mercenary hired for a mission. Like it or not, we have to fulfil the mission."

Irvine chuckled bitterly. "You haven't changed one bit, Quisty," he said. "Still so bossy." He sighed pensively. "…I'll do what I can. But if I fail the shot, we're going to have to get up close and personal."

Harry nodded. "Yeah. This is gonna suck, big time…"

* * *

They were given a briefing by Martine, before they left with Irvine. When they got to the train to Deling City, the sniper opted to go in the same compartment as Harry and Quistis, with Rinoa deciding to join them as well. Squall, Zell, and Selphie travelled together, and Harry knew that the two energetic SeeDs would be annoying him. Thankfully, Irvine only did some token flirting with Rinoa and Selphie: he was a noted womaniser at times.

After studying the orders, Harry said, "I'm going to make a slight modification to this. I'm going to infiltrate the Sorceress' residence, try and negotiate."

"How?" Quistis asked.

"I don't know. See if Ultimecia can be persuaded to call off her vendetta. She seems set on changing the future by force somehow, but if I can persuade her that Garden can change its focus, and not fall into this pogrom of Sorceresses she claims it has devolved into, it might work. It goes without saying that I will have to be careful not to let anything slip about the assassination. I don't think she's capable of reading minds unless she's junctioned to them."

Rinoa frowned. "Would an Odine bangle be of any help?"

"An Odine bangle?" Harry asked.

"Yes. The last time I was with my father, I left an Odine bangle there. It's a bangle that, supposedly, can suppress the powers of a Sorceress," Rinoa said. "Maybe we could trick her into putting it on?"

"Ultimecia is probably aware of what Odine has created," Harry said. "The moment she realised what you were trying to do, she would probably try to kill you. It's a nice thought, though. But keep in mind, Rinoa, that you're not a SeeD. We've undergone training for this. We know how to get into messy situations, and, more importantly, how to get out of them." He looked at Rinoa. "If you really want to be part of this, maybe I could have you with me on negotiations. But keep in mind that this is even more serious than the games you've been playing with the Timber Owls."

"We have NOT been playing games!" Rinoa retorted angrily.

"Given what Squall told us about what you've been doing," Quistis said, "I for one beg to differ. If you do help us with this, then understand that the risks are very real."

"Guys," Irvine said. "We're working under General Caraway, right? Is he going to let his daughter get involved?"

"I already am involved!" Rinoa retorted. "And it's not like I haven't seen combat. Dad trained me in self-defence, and the Timber Owls have gotten involved in a couple of skirmishes. And while I'd prefer to go after Deling, I can tell that this Sorceress is the bigger threat. Do you reckon she'll kill Deling?"

"It's possible," Harry said. "Ultimecia didn't seem like the sharing type. Doesn't mean things will get better for Timber, though."

"Even so, we need to face the facts, Harry," Quistis said. "I don't think the negotiations will work. She has a vendetta with us. A vendetta that she is willing to reach back in time to finish. If we're lucky, killing Edea will ensure that Ultimecia has no way to influence events in our time. I'm sorry it has to be at such a cost."

And she meant it, Harry knew. Quistis knew better than anyone else, save for Cid, how much Edea meant to him. In a way, he was glad she was here with him, along with Rinoa and Irvine. Irvine remembered Edea, and Rinoa was not attached to their group, but knew the pain of losing a parent. Squall, on the other hand, was a cold psychological mess, and neither Zell nor Selphie remembered Edea. Neither did Squall, but he had kept up the diary.

Still, Harry had to hold out hope that he could resolve this without his mother being murdered. But how?

 **CHAPTER 7 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **There you have it. And while this changes somewhat from the game, this is necessary. Oh, and that thing about Quistis becoming pregnant? It's significant. You'll see why when the ending comes around.**

 **1\. I took this line from an infamously hammy delivery in** ** _Doctor Who: City of Death_** **.**


	9. Chapter 8: Failed Negotiations

**CHAPTER 8:**

 **FAILED NEGOTIATIONS**

Harry was almost as annoyed with Caraway as Rinoa clearly was. His guard had sent them to retrieve the ID number of a Galbadia Garden student from a nearby ruin, the Tomb of the Unknown King. They'd also explored it, and managed to get Sacred and Minotaur, the two halves of the GF duo known as the Brothers. It was to act as proof of their ability, to get that ID number. Harry was far from amused. There were easier ways of ensuring security.

And then, the dingus made them wait. And when he finally came through, he had the temerity to demand that Rinoa leave. Not in a cruel or cold way: he actually seemed concerned. But Harry had only just managed to persuade him to allow her to stay, as well as to tweak the plan. He agreed, with the utmost reluctance, to send Harry and Rinoa to the Presidential Residence, to try and negotiate with the Sorceress, under the pretext of Garden and Caraway sending tribute to her.

The actual plan was quite elegant. Squall and Irvine would conceal themselves until the parade the Sorceress was taking entered an archway. Quistis and her team would operate the gates of the archway and trap the Sorceress. Irvine would then take the shot. If that failed, they were to immediately launch a direct assault: they wanted a covert operation, but if all else failed, they needed to kill the Sorceress at all costs.

Afterwards, Caraway led Harry and Rinoa away. "I hope that you do not try to warn her of the plot," he said.

"I'm not stupid. And…my mother would understand," Harry said. "This Sorceress does need to be stopped. I'm just trying to give her a chance to leave my mother alone."

Caraway nodded. "I understand. But if things go wrong, the plot will have to go ahead. And if Squall and the other SeeDs have to launch a direct assault, assist them." He then looked critically at them. "I would suggest that you get a change of clothes first. You are heading to the Presidential Residence, after all. If she refuses to negotiate, do not attack until after the sniper attack has failed. We do not need her alert to the assassination." He looked very hard at Rinoa. Then, at Harry. "And one thing, Kramer: if things go south, protect my daughter. Consider this your part of the mission."

"Yeah, I'll do it," Harry said. "Is Deling going to be okay with Rinoa being near him? Does he know of her being in Timber?"

"Yes, but he doesn't consider the Timber Owls to be much of a threat," he said. "All the same, keep her safe."

* * *

They were ferried by Caraway's personal car to the Presidential Residence, and soon escorted through it (after a variety of long and embarrassing checks: they had to leave their weapons at the door, and Rinoa had to leave Angelo back at the door too), until they arrived at a chamber, laced with veils, and with a single chair. Said chair had an occupant, the same Sorceress that had appeared in the TV studio in Timber. The guards made their excuses, and retreated, leaving Harry and Rinoa alone with her.

The red mask she had been wearing faded away, revealing the familiar features of Edea Kramer…but changed. Veins protruded on the side of her face. And when she opened her eyes, they were the familiar baleful gold of Ultimecia. "We meet again," she said quietly. In his mother's voice, but the mind was that of Ultimecia.

"Yes."

Ultimecia, in her stolen body, stood, and approached them slowly. Once she was close enough, she peered into his eyes, and then Rinoa's. An eyebrow was raised. "Did you know that this one has the potential to be a Sorceress?" she asked.

"No."

"Hmm. Rinoa Heartilly, the estranged daughter of General Fury Caraway…and the daughter of the late Julia Heartilly." As Rinoa looked back impassively, Ultimecia said, sincerely, "I love her song, you know. _Eyes on Me_."

"I love that song too," Rinoa said quietly.

"Hmm. I lost my mother when I was young too. But it was to no car accident. It was the malice of SeeD." Her eyes flickered over to Harry's. "And yet, here you are, persisting in trying to halt my course. Trying to… _negotiate_. That claim of Caraway's that this is Garden and himself paying tribute to me being excremental rubbish. You want your mother back."

"Yes." Tears welled up in his eyes, and he gently put a hand to her face. "Where is she?"

"Sleeping. I made her sleep. She wouldn't stop screaming," Ultimecia said. Harry noticed she didn't push the hand away. "Screaming at me to stop. Even though this is necessary. You know…you are the first person in many years I have allowed to lay so much as a finger on without my doing so first. You truly care for her, don't you?"

"She gave me love and a home. She trained me in how to use my powers. I care for her more than you may ever know."

"Would you do anything to get her back?"

"I would do much. But I won't help you dominate the world or destroy Garden. Ultimecia…there should be a better way of changing the future than by brute force. You can tell us why SeeD targets you, what their ethos is, anything we can use to change the future you grew up in, hopefully for the better. You don't have to fight us."

Ultimecia looked up at him, her stolen eyes glistening with tears. "You truly believe that, don't you? You truly think that this can be resolved without us fighting."

"Ultimecia…the onus is on you. We don't have to fight. Just…work together to stop SeeD from ruining your childhood. I don't know whether it can be done, but cooperating to change the future, without you attacking Garden or SeeD…without you taking over the world…Cid would be willing to listen. I am willing to listen. SeeD was founded to stop the Sorceress…but if I can do so without violence, I will. And they will listen." Harry gave a smile. "So, what do you say?"

Ultimecia seemed to think about this, before the moment was ruined, by Deling walking in, accompanied by a pair of guards. "Edea, it's time for your speech. I'll have these two escorted out."

"No, let them stay, President. They're about to see history in the making," Ultimecia said. "I will keep an eye on them."

* * *

They walked out to a balcony, where a massive crowd had already gathered outside the Presidential Residence. He knew Squall and Irvine would be watching them by this point, ready to duck in through the gate and clamber into the Residence.

"Look at them," Ultimecia murmured, looking down at the crowd, her voice only heard by Harry and Rinoa. "Lowlifes. Shameless filthy wretches. The pogroms were led by SeeD had the likes of these as their footsoldiers. They have no shame whatsoever, celebrating with such joy the ascension of one they have condemned for generations."

"They're people, Ultimecia, like you and I," Harry said. "The only difference is our power."

He couldn't tell whether the noise Ultimecia emitted was a scoff of disdain, or a quiet bark of bitter laughter, or perhaps something in sadness. Instead, she whispered something to Rinoa, before walking up to the podium, Deling standing uncharacteristically deferentially nearby. "She said she was going to make my dream come true," Rinoa whispered. "But what did she mean?"

Harry shushed her as Ultimecia, wearing his mother's body, took to the podium. After a moment's hesitation, she said, to the cheering crowd below, "Greetings, to the people of Galbadia! I stand before you, a Sorceress! In your nightmares, the Sorceress is a figure of fear, a cold-blooded tyrant who has laid waste to nations, and slaughtered countless men! But here I stand, a figure of your fear, adored!"

Harry felt a strange sensation settle over him, and he gently grasped Rinoa's hand as her eyes clouded. "Rinoa, she's casting a spell," he hissed quietly.

Rinoa shook her head, her eyes clearing, while Ultimecia continued. "I accept your devotion, and your desire to see me as your ruler!"

Deling blinked, and stepped over to Ultimecia. "Edea…what are you talking about? What are you…"

Ultimecia turned from the podium, and plunged her hand into the stocky man's chest. The man convulsed, purple and gold flames erupting from within his body. He couldn't even scream. "Ultimecia!" Harry yelled.

Ultimecia ignored Harry, instead speaking to Deling. "You thought that I was your pet? That you could hold the leash of a Sorceress? This is reality, and nobody can help you. So sit back, and enjoy the show." With a contemptuous gesture, she flung Deling back. While his corpse was mostly intact, acrid smoke rose from his fallen form, while cheers rose from a crowd that had to have witnessed it. That must have been the spell Harry felt.

Sic semper tyrannis, _I believe is appropriate here_ , Jormungand remarked.

"Rest assured," Ultimecia said to the crowd, "everyone here shall get what they deserve. This is but the beginning. I shall let you have a final fantasy(1) ere the end comes." She then turned from the podium, and began walking back, only for Harry to clamp a hand on her shoulder.

"What did you just do?"

"I would have thought that was obvious, Kramer," Ultimecia said. "Consider this a rejection of your offer. I have no doubt now as to your sincerity…but even if you and your parents wish to stop it, you are but a few against the tide of history. But my plan…" Suddenly, Harry and Rinoa were flung to the ground by a blast of force. "I know it will succeed. It MUST succeed!" As she walked away, she made a gesture. "I'm sorry, but I cannot let you interfere."

Harry watched as she shimmered and vanished. "Shit!" he snarled. Because he knew that they would have to go through with the assassination plan. And if that failed, well, Ultimecia was going to go after SeeD with a vengeance.

A series of screams came from the distance, and Harry and Rinoa whirled to find a pair of strange creatures, like the Iguion statues on the very archway Quistis and her team were manning, loping towards them along the road. They leapt onto the podium area. Rinoa looked at Harry. "We fight them?"

"Ultimecia sent them here to delay us, even kill us. We fight."

* * *

Harry had to admit, he was impressed at how well Rinoa fought. Clearly, her father's lessons paid off. Okay, he had seen her fight in the Tomb of the Unknown King, but her talent had been overshadowed by the others. As it was, she fought almost as well as a SeeD. Harry even managed to draw a GF from one of them: Carbuncle.

As the last Iguion died, Squall and Irvine came clambering up, the parade float with Ultimecia on it driving away. "Are you two all right?" Squall asked. "We saw those two beasts leap up."

Rinoa nodded. "I'm…fine. I mean, it was scary, but…Harry was here."

"Can I take it that negotiations were a failure?" Squall asked.

"She very nearly agreed," Harry snarled angrily. "I nearly got her to stop fighting us!" He punched a nearby wall, but not having Zell's training, he merely bruised his hand badly. "Now I'm going to have to watch as my Mum dies!"

"Harry, you were right. I saw Seifer on the float with Ultimecia," Squall said. "He's still alive, maybe acting as her Knight."

"I hate being right," Harry muttered bitterly. "So the selfish prick achieved his dream. Ultimecia's instituted a _coup d'etat_ against Deling. Irvine, I know how you feel about this. But we're going to have to go through with the mission."

Irvine swallowed, and nodded. They made their way to the special clock area, where Irvine was going to take the shot. A special rifle was waiting for them. Irvine took the rifle, and sat down, trying to gather himself for the event.

"If we have to launch a direct assault on Ultimecia," Squall said quietly, "we'll have to get Seifer out of the way. We may end up killing him."

Rinoa nodded solemnly. "You've…had that sort of training, haven't you?" she asked quietly. "Then again, it's the kind of world you live in. I don't want to see it happen, but…"

"It's up to Irvine," Squall said.

"Not necessarily. Seifer might seek out Ultimecia's assassins," Harry pointed out.

* * *

Sometime later, the clock rose, and Irvine, reluctantly, took aim at the now-trapped float. "Harry…" he said, in a lost voice. "Can you forgive me?"

Harry nodded, tears running down his face as he and Squall looked through field binoculars at the archway. "Mum would forgive you herself. Take the shot. We'll do the rest if necessary."

Irvine looked through the scope, and murmured, "Matron…I'm sorry." Then, he fired, the rifle bucking in his hands.

Suddenly, Harry could see the bullet, a miniscule speck slowing down to a halt in front of Ultimecia, who had a hand out. "Damn, she suspected something was up!" Squall snarled quietly. "And it would have been a kill shot too."

"Sorry," Irvine said.

Squall shook his head. "You did your best under very trying circumstances, in spite of attachment. If we survive this, I will ask for a commendation for you. We'll have to launch a direct assault. Harry, Irvine, Rinoa, back me up."

As Squall made to leave, Harry said, "Wait. I can use Apparition to get us closer." He looked through the binoculars, visualising where he needed to go. Then, he lowered them. "Hold onto me…and your lunches."

They did so, and with a loud _crack!_...

* * *

…They were in the archway, next to the float. They scrambled onto it, finding Seifer readying his gunblade. "So, the gang's all here," he sneered.

"Seifer…so you got to be a Sorceress' Knight after all," Harry said.

"Yeah! How does it feel knowing I'm the true Knight to your mother?" he crowed.

"That's not my mother. That's someone else wearing her flesh," Harry said sadly.

"Enough! You're mine, Squall!" Seifer snarled, lunging at his fellow gunblade user. The duel was brief and vicious, but Squall was soon victorious, Seifer sagging to the ground, unconscious, from Squall using a headbutt.

"I learned, Seifer, how to play dirty from the best. Thank you," Squall said, rubbing his head.

"It seems I chose my Knight poorly," Ultimecia remarked, standing. "And to think, I was to be assassinated all this time."

"I wanted to prevent that," Harry said, telescoping his rod out. "I was to give you one last chance. You turned your back on a peaceful solution. I tried, I want you to know that I _tried_. But you seem determined to play your role, of a monstrous Sorceress. So we're playing ours: the SeeDs who will stop you(2)."

Ultimecia scoffed as blue energy flared around her. "A nice speech…but as I told Deling, this is reality. Nothing will help you here." She raised her hand up, and formed a lance made of ice, before hurling it at the astonished Squall.

On instinct, Harry shoved Squall out of the way, only to feel pain run through his body in the path of the icy lance. With a strangled scream of pain, he collapsed to the floor of the float, the last thing he heard before a cold, cold darkness overcame him, was the sound of his comrades screaming his name.

But over even them, was the anguished scream of Ultimecia, screaming for him from his mother's lips…

 **CHAPTER 8 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Holy shit, I didn't think I would get that one out so quickly. And I'm really beginning the process of humanising Ultimecia. In case you're wondering why she is reacting so oddly to Harry, he's the first person in a very long time to reach out to her and try to understand her. So she's actually interested in him, in that sort of 'in another life, we could have been friends' way. Which they are, in my one-shot** ** _Ultimecia's Knight_** **. She would prefer to keep him alive if possible. She sent the Iguions more to delay him and Rinoa rather than kill them.**

 **1\. Apparently, in the original Japanese version of the speech she gives, Ultimecia does use the term 'final fantasy'. This was my little tribute to that.**

 **2\. Derived somewhat from the Doctor's speech towards the Boneless in** ** _Doctor Who: Flatline_** **.**


	10. Chapter 9: Mother and Other

**CHAPTER 9:**

 **MOTHER AND OTHER**

The first thing that told Harry that, despite his fears, he wasn't dead, was when he opened his eyes, and found himself in a familiar void, cradled by Ellone. "Harry? Are you all right?"

"Well, considering I just got a fucking lance of ice through my torso, I'm guessing I'm still alive enough to see someone else's life pass before my eyes. Unless either you are dead, or else you're some sort of psychopomp. Either way, if that's the case, then death is pretty disappointing, as I was expecting something better on the other side(1)."

"Well, you're not dead," Ellone said. "It seems that you keep getting caught up in my usage of my powers now."

"And Ultimecia using her Junction Machine Ellone," Harry muttered. "I must have some weird affinity with your powers. Like, I can't quite use them, but I can be affected by them in weird ways."

Ellone shrugged. "I don't know." She looked down at where they could see Laguna and Kiros talking to a young woman and a young girl in a pub. "Hyne, I look so young," she murmured.

"That's you, the young girl," Harry mused. "The woman, that's Raine, isn't it? Squall's mother?"

"Yes. This is Winhill, while Adel was still in power. That was when I first met Uncle Laguna," Ellone said. "And Uncle Kiros, of course. At the time, Uncle Ward was working as a janitor in the D-District Prison, already beginning to be populated by Deling's political opponents. Zell's junctioned to Ward."

"…Do you have any idea where we are? In reality?"

"Ultimecia has captured you all," Ellone said. "You are being held within Galbadia Garden, along with the others."

"Shit," Harry muttered. "So, not dead, but almost certainly going to wish that was the case."

"Think positive!"

"What? I'm the prisoner of a Sorceress from the future with a big chip on her shoulder and who wants to see Garden and SeeD wiped from the face of the world. Oh, and she's wearing my mother's body like you would wear a dress, and has made herself the ruler of Galbadia, presumably as a stepping stone to the rest of the world."

"You sound like Squall."

"Don't be ridiculous. Squall is almost never that melodramatic."

Ellone chuckled. "True. You're still alive. So are the others. And while it's clichéd, while there's life, there's hope."

Harry scoffed, even as the void began to fade. "Great. That's all I need. A cliché. Don't suppose you can junction me some lockpicks or something?"

Ellone's reply was lost as Harry regained consciousness…

* * *

…And found himself with his mother…no, Ultimecia looking at him with an expression of concern. It was that very expression that had Harry mistaking Ultimecia for the woman whose body she was controlling.

The fact that Ultimecia actually _felt_ any concern towards him was astonishing.

That she leant down and kissed him on the lips was even more so.

When she straightened back up, Harry stared up at her. "You just kissed me. With my mother's mouth. That is wrong on more than a few levels, you know."

"I was curious to see what it felt like, to kiss while junctioned to your mother," Ultimecia said. "I have not kissed anyone for a long time. And nobody has ever kissed me."

"Why kiss me, then?"

Ultimecia looked down at him, before saying, "You are the first person in a very long time to even bother to try and reach out to me. Your foolish attempt at saving Squall nearly robbed me of the one person I have been able to talk to about anything. I was…relieved that you survived. I healed you of your wound." She touched his torso, the rent in his clothing still there, but the rent in his flesh not. There was a faint scar, but little else to make the lance of ice's passing. She gently traced the outline of the scar in a disturbingly sensuous fashion. "Do you know how much it means to me, to have someone who even remotely sympathises with my plight? An enemy, yes, but…you came at me not with blade or gun or Para-Magic or Guardian Force, but with words and diplomacy, truly dangerous weapons indeed. And not the hollow offers of Deling and his sycophants, but someone who wants to save his mother. You hated it when they ordered your mother's death."

Harry nodded, reluctantly. He was in some sort of throne room, gauzy drapes hung everywhere, and a throne decorated like a massive flower in the middle. He was lying on some sort of couch, Ultimecia sitting on a chair next to it.

"You wanted to save her. But I could see in your eyes…empathy towards me. The very Sorceress you are destined to destroy," Ultimecia said. "How strange it must feel, to have any kind of feelings other than rage and hate towards an enemy. I certainly feel strange. Those six with you, you were said to be the ones who defeat me, and yet, you seem so _ordinary_. Eccentric, yes, and combat-experienced…but _ordinary_. Children, barely adults, shaped to become the soldiers of Garden. All for the purpose of defeating me. Why do you feel empathy for me, Harry Kramer?"

"…When we first met, you said ' _I did not start this war, no matter what you think, but I will finish it. Remember, it was SeeD who forced me to do this._ ' Having been raised in Garden, having trained as a SeeD, and knowing you were some sort of Sorceress, I had to wonder. I was lucky, my parents loved me, shielded me from those who fear and hate Sorceresses. But I'm not ignorant of their plight, either. People fear Sorceresses with good reason, especially with what happened with Adel, but…not all of them are like Adel. You only have to look at my Mum to know that! She was the kindest person I have ever known. But she got persecuted, even though her parents were well-off, and decent people. My Dad had to rescue her from a mob once. You'd know this if you looked through her memories."

"I can see but few of them," Ultimecia said. "She shields them from me, because she knows I seek someone in this time for my plans. Which is part of the reason why you are here. SeeD needs to be wiped from the face of the world. Galbadia Garden is my base of operations. Did you know the Gardens were built on old Centra shelters? And the Centra made their shelters mobile, in order to avoid the Lunar Cry. I haven't made Galbadia Garden mobile yet, but I soon will. And soon, Galbadia Garden will be the only Garden left. I regret the necessity, but the other Gardens must be destroyed, Trabia and Balamb. Even as we speak, the missiles are being prepared."

"You can't!" Harry yelped. "Hundreds of students and orphans, most of them not even SeeD, will die! This is mass murder and a war crime!"

"As I said, I did not start it. I will finish it. And from what I have heard, Balamb Garden is tearing itself apart even as we speak."

"What?!"

"I was contacted by Balamb's financier, Master Norg, who is offering me your father's head on a platter in exchange for no retaliation. Garden Faculty and SeeD are engaged in a pitched war across Balamb Garden. As I said, Balamb Garden is tearing itself apart as we speak. But you have a chance to save your friends, Harry," Ultimecia said quietly. "I have a single question that must be answered. Answer it promptly and truthfully, and your friends' lives will be spared, along with yourself. If not, I will execute all but Heartilly, as examples of SeeD treachery. The question I want to ask is this: where is Ellone?"

Harry wasn't quite expecting this, but he eventually asked, "Why? What does she mean to you?"

"I need her power for my plans. The machine based on her only goes so far back in time."

Harry blinked, remembering a phrase his mother had scrawled on the back of that letter. "Time Compression." On seeing her startled look, Harry looked at her. "What is Time Compression? I'm guessing that's what you need her for. My mother wrote about those things while she was trying to defend herself from you taking her over."

Ultimecia was silent for a time, before she said, "Imagine a single moment, lasting forever. All of time and space, compressed to a single area. A never-ending now where everything happens at once. At the centre of all of this, a single Sorceress with the powers of all the Sorceresses in history. The ultimate power. The power to make sure peace is achieved. No more strife or battles or hatred. Just peace. A never-ending paradise free of conflict. That is Time Compression. Worth any price to pay."

Harry scowled, even as he saw the fervour in her eyes. " _Any_ price?"

Ultimecia scoffed. "I have already answered your question, Harry. Answer mine. Where is Ellone? Tell me, or I will bring the SeeDs in one by one and have Seifer behead them, starting with Irvine Kinneas, and ending with your Lady-Knight, Quistis Trepe!"

It was a surprisingly easy decision for Harry. While it meant betraying Ellone's location, it also meant potentially sparing Balamb Garden from her wrath. And his friends. "Balamb Garden," he said quietly after a brief hesitation. "I don't know exactly where, but she was in Balamb Garden when I last saw her."

Ultimecia's eyes widened in shock. For a moment, she seemed ready to name him a liar, until something in his face told her he was telling the truth. She then yelled, "Seifer!"

Seifer stormed in. "Yes, Edea?"

"Contact the missile bases! Tell them to abort the launch preparations against both enemy Gardens for the moment! Have the coordinates on stand-by, though. And prepare to open a channel to Master Norg! I will tell him that in exchange for clemency, I will require Ellone, alive and unharmed and unmolested." After a moment's thought, she added, "I also want Cid Kramer in the same condition, as a good behaviour bond for his son. Once they're delivered to us, we will wipe both Gardens out."

Harry got to his feet. "What?!" he demanded.

"I am far from the only one in this world who fears SeeD, Harry Kramer," Ultimecia said as Seifer sprinted out of the room. "There are as many who view you with fear as much as awe. Through my government, we will spread the tale that SeeD had intended to launch a _coup d'etat_ against Deling and I, collaborating with General Caraway. When I achieve what I wish, you will be my honoured guests, seeing peace happen in your time, and my time, and all time. No more need for SeeD or Garden or armies or war. Just peace."

"People are going to die!"

"I can bring them back to life, if that bothers you," Ultimecia said. "Once I have the power of a goddess, far above even Hyne himself, I will become the arbiter of life and death over all creation. Can you comprehend the enormity of such a concept? Even I barely can. There will be no future, no past, just a present. You should thank me. Come. You would want to see your friends, yes?"

* * *

He was brought down to the reception room, where the others were waiting under armed guard. "Harry!" Quistis yelled, clearly relieved. So did the others. Even Squall looked relieved.

As Harry noted the large window, Ultimecia said, "You have had a stay of execution. It may even become a pardon, should you remain well-behaved."

"She wants Ellone," Harry said.

The protests on the others' lips were cut off when Harry glared at them, then looked at the window meaningfully. Squall, however, stood, and glared at Ultimecia. "Haven't you done enough to hurt him?"

"Hurt him? Soon, there will be no hurt," Ultimecia said. "Stay here, as my guests."

Harry chuckled bitterly. Then, suddenly, green orbs with a fire within them circled his body, before disappearing. Suddenly, a massive snake, pale, with blood-red eyes smashed through the window. "I'm going to have to decline, Ultimecia," Harry snarled. "Jormungand! Eitr Flood(2)!"

Jormungand seemed to smirk, before opening his mouth. Ultimecia dodged to the side, while a Galbadian soldier behind her wasn't so lucky, hit with a blast of poisonous liquid, and began screaming as his skin and uniform began to melt. As Ultimecia struggled to her feet, Harry yelled, "Onto him! Go, go, go!"

 _I'm not a bloody hippogriff!_ Jormungand protested as Squall and the others clambered on.

Harry clambered on, boosting the short Selphie on, before clambering on himself. "Come on, go!" Harry yelled.

Jormungand, his passengers clinging on for dear life, writhed down to the ground, and slithered out of the grounds of Galbadia Garden. "We'll have to Apparate to Trabia Garden first!" Harry yelled, "get them to evacuate. Then, we'll have to get to Balamb Garden! We have to stop her from getting Ellone!"

"How are we going to do that?" Squall demanded.

"I have no idea! But Ultimecia seems set on destroying Trabia and Balamb once she gets Ellone and my father! We need to evacuate Trabia before Ultimecia decides to launch the missiles!"

Selphie agreed with that well before the others did, and they rode Jormungand away, ready to Apparate once they had gotten far enough away from Galbadia Garden. The thing was, was it going to be good enough?

 **CHAPTER 9 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **The next chapter will be a while. In any case, I hope you liked this one all the same. That scene of Ultimecia kissing Harry (with his own adoptive mother Edea's mouth) was a twisted little notion I had, partly to showcase Ultimecia's distorted morality, as well as her genuine concern for Harry's welfare. She does threaten the life of his friends, yes, but even so…**

 **If you think Harry caved in too easily, keep in mind that he hoped Balamb Garden would be spared, and he could buy enough time to escape and warn the other Gardens. He doesn't want to see his friends get killed, either.**

 **1\. I cribbed this from a similar line in** ** _Doctor Who: Terminus_** **.**

 **2\. Eitr was the name of the venom of Jormungand/the Midgard Serpent in Norse mythology.**


	11. Chapter 10: Uncivil War

**CHAPTER 10:**

 **UNCIVIL WAR**

They spent about a quarter of an hour ensuring that Trabia Garden would evacuate. It wouldn't mean much if Ultimecia cottoned onto what they were doing, as she might send the troops in, but at least it meant that the faculty and staff wouldn't be missile fodder. And Selphie was glad of it.

But when they got back to Balamb Garden, they found that Ultimecia was telling the truth: Norg and the Garden Faculty were fighting the SeeDs and Instructors, using summoned monsters. The moment they were spotted, they were attacked. Only one of the Faculty held back from attacking. When Harry and the others subdued them and killed the monsters, he said, "I'm not gonna fight you! No paycheck's worth this!"

"Good answer," Harry said, storming up to him. "What has happened to my father? And Ellone?"

"I don't know where your father is!" the Garden Faculty member protested. "Ellone's currently barricaded in the library, last I heard! The Sorceress Edea has offered Norg amnesty if he brings her them alive and unharmed!"

"He's a fool," Quistis snarled.

At that moment, as the Garden Faculty member made his escape, Raijin and Fujin dashed up. "Hey, you guys are back! What's with the looks on your faces?"

"We may need to evacuate Balamb Garden," Squall said. "The Sorceress has taken over Galbadia and its Garden. If Cid and Ellone aren't brought to her, she will destroy Balamb and Trabia Gardens."

"She's gonna do it anyway," Zell scowled.

"That's why those Garden Faculty goons were tryin' to round up the SeeDs," Raijin remarked.

"DISTURBING," Fujin concurred.

Then, Raijin blinked. "Wait, what? Did you say Balamb was gonna be destroyed? We've gotta get out of here!"

Fujin promptly stamped down on Raijin's foot. As he howled with pain, she said, "WARN _EVERYONE_."

"Do you know where my father is?" Harry asked.

"No," Raijin said. "Haven't got a clue. And this chaos, it's reflecting pretty badly on the Disciplinary Committee, y'know?"

"PRIORITIES, IMBECILE," Fujin retorted. She then looked at Harry. Quieter than she usually said things, she said, "Seifer?"

"Alive, but he's working for the Sorceress," Harry said. "Problem is, he seems all too happy to see Balamb Garden wiped off the map. He was going to execute us on the Sorceress' orders."

Raijin scowled. "But Seifer wouldn't do anything like that, y'know?"

Fujin shook her head. "ANSWERS LATER. EVACUATION."

"Right! Be careful, there's a lot of fighting between the SeeDs and the Garden Faculty, y'know?" Raijin said, before he and Fujin dashed away.

Eventually, Squall said, "Zell, Selphie, Rinoa, with me. We'll search for Cid and Ellone on this floor. Harry, you take Quistis and Irvine to the second floor, and failing that, investigate the headmaster's office."

* * *

Harry, Quistis, and Irvine soon encountered Xu on the second floor. She looked relieved to see them, though learning about the missiles gave her a shock. They had actually double-bluffed the Garden Faculty, with Cid still in his office. They went up there quickly.

"Dad!" Harry yelled as he dashed in from the lift.

Cid looked at Harry. "Harry, I'm glad you're safe. What's the matter?"

"The mission failed, as you might know already! I've confirmed that the Sorceress who has taken over Mum is Ultimecia, a Sorceress from the future. She needs Ellone for her plans, and she has sent Norg a message, claiming that if you are surrendered to her, along with Ellone, Ultimecia won't destroy Garden. She intends to do so anyway using the Galbadian missiles."

"Damn," Cid muttered. "And with the intercom down, we can't order a mass evacuation. I'll have Xu assist with an evacuation."

"Raijin and Fujin are doing so," Quistis said. "Squall and the others are currently cleaning house on the ground floor. What are we going to do?"

"I think there may be a way to save Garden," Cid said. He made to move, only to collapse. Harry rushed to his side. His father had, at times, a bit of a dodgy heart, and events were probably proving a strain.

"Dad…what can we do to save Garden?" Suddenly, what Ultimecia said to him came back to him. He actually knew about that before, having been told by his father. About the fact that the Gardens were built into old Centra shelters…mobile shelters, designed to move away from sites of the Lunar Cry. "You want to make Balamb Garden mobile," he muttered.

Cid nodded as he got back, shakily, to his feet. He handed Harry a key. "Use this on the elevator. It'll take you down to a different level, the MD Level. I don't know anything about the control systems, but it's our best hope."

* * *

The exploration of the MD Level was rather nervewracking, given how decrepit the facility was. They even had to fight off a pair of Oilboyles that had taken residence in the oil reservoirs. But they eventually found a control panel. On an impulse, Harry began pressing key buttons. Soon, machinery whirred into life around them, and then, all of a sudden, the platform they were on suddenly shot into the air, the roof above them opening up, until suddenly, they were in the Headmaster's Office once more, Cid looking bowled over, with Squall and the others (Ellone included) looking on in shock, having apparently entered the Headmaster's Office.

The group watched as the Garden began to transform, quaking and shaking as it did so, before rising out of the ground, and, floating on a ring that was formerly floating around the upper storeys of Garden, began to move towards Balamb. Harry began punching other buttons, until the Garden veered away from Balamb, and hit the ocean, where it ended up drifting, cruising on the surface of the water. "Holy shit," he murmured. "That…was bloody lucky."

* * *

Between Harry and Squall, they reported on what had happened in Deling City, and what had happened afterwards. Harry's report on what he had learned from Ultimecia was particularly concerning. Cid rubbed at his chin. "So…she seeks Ellone to cause Time Compression, to gain absolute power. It's fantastic, and yet…it's beginning to make a lot of sense. A shame you weren't able to negotiate with her."

"There's still good in her, I know. Don't get me wrong, she's set on destroying Garden and SeeD. But she feels like she has no choice," Harry said. "She's determined to have her own way. And frankly, I'm not sure how we're going to be able to stop her. Mum was just the easiest Sorceress for her to take over. If we kill Mum's body, she might find another, especially if Edea is killed and passes her powers onto someone else." His eyes flickered over to Rinoa. "She said Rinoa has Sorceress potential. That means she might have marked her as another meatsuit."

"I'd rather die than help her!" Rinoa protested.

"I don't think she would care," Quistis observed. "The problem we face in fighting Ultimecia is that she exists in a time that we cannot reach."

"I don't know about that. I'm not sure, but when I was asleep, something about the Junction Machine Ellone she used allowed me to speak with her. I'm disembodied, I think, but I can speak to her. If there's some way to take advantage of that, either by somehow manifesting myself in her time, or else drawing her spirit completely into our time, away from her body in the future. Her body in the future will either die, or else be emptied of her soul, and we can deal with her soul in the present." Harry shook his head. "I'm grasping at straws here, obviously. Quistis is right, she exists in the future, and unless someone has invented a time machine, we can't reach her normally."

"Maybe Esthar has a time machine?" Selphie asked with a shrug.

"If one existed, it'd be the only place to have one," Harry muttered. "Of course, with Esthar so damned isolationist, we can't even check to make sure."

"That's…not strictly speaking true," Ellone said. "I can junction you with the current President of Esthar. I can then help you speak to them. Normally, they can't hear you much beyond background noise unless I boost it. All I need to do is make sure that you're being junctioned to him as close to the present as possible."

"…Ellone," Squall said. "At the ball, you said you know who my father was, that he was the President of Esthar. But…who was he? You seem to know him. I even saw a younger you in the latest junctioning you sent us back, and Raine." When Ellone refused to answer, Squall muttered, "It's him, isn't it? Laguna's my father."

Reluctantly, Ellone nodded. Almost everyone stared at Squall. "That…is SO cool!" Selphie exclaimed.

"That…is so sad," Squall muttered, facepalming. "Why did you show us his past, Sis?"

"…At first, I wanted to change the past, to try and prevent him from leaving us at Winhill, or at the very least, have him pick us up, along with Raine, your mother, and take us back to Esthar. But Matron, before Ultimecia took control, warned me against changing the past. I thought maybe I could still influence the past, or at least have some perspective. And…I thought I could show you your father, Squall. I know, he doesn't seem like much, but he helped overthrow Adel." Her eyes flickered over to Rinoa. "He helped your mother write her most famous song." She placed a hand on her chest. "He came to Esthar to save me."

"…Don't junction me to talk to him," Squall said quietly, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't think I'd be…objective enough."

"What, you mean you'd yell at him and not get anywhere?" Zell asked.

"I wouldn't _yell_ , but yes, I would argue with him and not get anywhere," Squall said.

"I'll do it!" Selphie cheered, pumping her fist into the air.

"You're excluded automatically on account of being a fangirl," Harry said, deadpan.

"Ohhh, you're _mean_ ," Selphie said. Squall, despite himself, smiled at Harry's classification of the enthusiastic girl.

"Look, I volunteer," Harry said. "Let's face it, it'd be either myself, Quistis, or Irvine. Maybe even Rinoa." With the chairs now gone thanks to the control panel, Harry laid down on the floor. Ellone lied down next to him.

"Relax, Harry. Just give me a moment, and I will send you to Uncle Laguna."

Harry nodded, tried to relax, closed his eyes…

* * *

And then, he was somewhere else. In an office filled with elegant lines. It was, in a word, futuristic. But, he realised, he wasn't actually in Laguna's body. He was outside of it, as he had been with Ultimecia when he was in her time. The long-haired figure of Laguna was sitting, hunched over at a desk, looking rather harassed and harried. He'd aged surprisingly well, despite what was the obvious stress of the position of the President of Esthar.

The familiar bulky figure of Ward and the dark-skinned, slender Kiros were in robes that suggested some sort of aide. More alarmingly, they were staring at him, astonished at how he came to be here. Harry held up his hands in a placatory gesture. This seemed to deter them from calling the guards…yet.

"Damned paperwork…I swear, it's breeding," Laguna muttered. "It's worse than the Malboros outside the city…"

"Umm, sir?" Kiros asked.

"Kiros, I'm trying to sign off on this supplies request for the Lunar Base. Hyne knows we need it to keep going, or Adel might awaken, and we'd be all in a big heap of trouble. Which reminds me, my annual inspection's on before long. Gotta break out the old spacesuit. Hope I don't sneeze in it this time(1)."

"Laguna…we've got a visitor," Kiros said, rolling his eyes. "He doesn't seem to have an appointment. Hell, he seems transparent."

Laguna looked at Kiros, before he noticed Harry. For a moment, he stared, before doing a ridiculously exaggerated double-take. "What the…?!"

"Hi," Harry said with a wave. "Umm, Laguna?"

"Yeah, that's my name." Laguna looked him up and down. "Do I know you?" Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Oh, no…I heard rumours but…you're not my son, are you?"

"No, no. But…I know him. I'm Harry Kramer, the son of Cid and Edea Kramer."

"Edea? Oh, that lovely Sorceress I met, the one in charge of that orphanage. Oh, and the one who founded Garden and SeeD," Laguna said, smiling. "So, I presume you're with Garden, then."

"How do you know? I thought Esthar was isolated."

"Not entirely. We export things on the QT, and we still have a feed into the world's network. Anyway, why are you here? And why are you transparent? Is this a hologram?"

"No. Ellone's sent me here."

"Ellone?! So she's with you?" Laguna yelped.

"Yes. She used her power to send me to you, a few seconds back in time. Look, Laguna, you'll forgive me if I don't use 'President' or 'sir', but we've got a bit of an urgent problem," Harry said.

"Is this something to do with the Sorceress Galbadia is trumpeting about? I saw the broadcast Deling made from Timber. And there's chatter on the network that she's taken over from Deling. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear it's your mother, Edea."

"…The body's hers. But the mind is another matter." It took a few minutes for Harry to explain the situation. Laguna and his friends, to their credit, listened.

Eventually, Laguna said, "That's the weirdest story I ever heard. I could have made a bundle writing about that for _Timber Maniacs_. Look, I believe you. I know about Ellone's powers. But I'm sorry to disappoint you. Esthar never developed a time machine. As far as I know, the only work done on time travel, beyond the theoretical, is Doctor Odine studying Ellone's powers. Sorry." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Anyway, you said you were in Balamb Garden, and it's now mobile? Well, I'm not sure what we can do to help, but we've got satellites that can find your position. I'll see if I can get Doctor Odine to cook something up that can disrupt this 'Junction Machine Ellone' thing. We'll try to get it to you. Any little bit helps, right?"

"I guess. Thanks anyway."

"No problem. Oh, and tell Ellone and my son for me…I'm sorry. I really am."

Harry nodded, before he felt Ellone taking him away. It had been a long shot, but maybe they had a new ally into the bargain…

 **CHAPTER 10 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **And here you have it, the latest chapter. Squall's learned who his father is (Squall was told earlier in this story by Ellone that his father was the President of Esthar, after all, and he's not at all stupid), and Laguna may be about to help. The discussion of how Harry interacts with Ellone's powers is going to be key to the climax as well.**

 **Now, the next chapter will be Harry and the others confronting Norg.**

 **Oh, before I get onto the reviews, I'd like to plug my latest fic, another** ** _Final Fantasy VIII crossover_** **, with Ultimecia being a key character…but instead of Harry Potter, it's a** ** _Neon Genesis Evangelion_** **crossover, the very first crossover on this website AFAIK. It involves Shinji ending up in the future of the world of** ** _Final Fantasy VIII_** **, becoming a teenaged Ultimecia's Knight, and it's called** ** _Anchor of Ultimecia_** **. I've also got a pure** ** _Final Fantasy VIII_** **fic,** ** _La Vita Nuova_** **, where Ultimecia ends up trapped in Rinoa before Rinoa was born.**

 **Review-answering time!** **diagonalpumpkin** **: While Ultimecia seems like more of a one-dimensional villain in the game, there are just enough hints (especially in her speech in Deling City while possessing Edea towards the end of the first disc) that imply a tragic past. Ultimecia, Kuja, Seymour, along with my version of Jenova from my Harry Potter crossovers with** ** _Final Fantasy VII_** **, are all interesting villains to write for, given their tragic pasts (for my version of Jenova, said past is not canon, though it is plausible in the original game's mythos). Though Kefka is certainly fun, given that he's a funny lunatic. If you want some more sympathetic Ultimecia, why not try the aforementioned crossover with** ** _Evangelion_** **,** ** _Anchor of Ultimecia_** **? Or** ** _La Vita Nuova_** **?**

 **Nexus the 13** **th** **: Short answer: a wizard did it. Namely Voldemort/Jormungand. Longer answer: in this story, inhabitants of Winhill and Dollet speak with a British accent (or the nearest equivalent).**

 **1\. A reference to my latest chapter of** ** _La Vita Nuova_** **. Rinoa and Squall are discussing Laguna while on a train, and Squall calls Laguna an idiot. Laguna, who is currently spacewalking to inspect Adel's Tomb, promptly sneezes a couple of times.**


	12. Chapter 11: Sins of the Fathers

**CHAPTER 11:**

 **SINS OF THE FATHERS**

Balamb Garden was drifting peacefully along the ocean's surface, but that peace wasn't matched by the inhabitants. They had been forced to uproot the Garden in order to avoid Ultimecia's attack. The problem was, Harry knew that Ultimecia wouldn't rest until she got Ellone.

Ultimecia's words echoed in his mind. _Imagine a single moment, lasting forever. All of time and space, compressed to a single area. A never-ending now where everything happens at once. At the centre of all of this, a single Sorceress with the powers of all the Sorceresses in history. The ultimate power. The power to make sure peace is achieved. No more strife or battles or hatred. Just peace. A never-ending paradise free of conflict. That is Time Compression. Worth any price to pay_.

Ultimecia was not power hungry for the sake of power. She was desperate for it, because she thought it was the only way to achieve peace for herself. She had deluded herself into believing that, once she had achieved that power, she would be able to remake the world as a utopia. Always assuming that it didn't tear her apart.

It had only been a few hours since Harry had contacted Laguna. Rinoa had asked Squall to take her on a tour of the Garden. Harry and Quistis had accompanied them, though not before fetching Ellone. Given that Ultimecia had probably contacted Norg before they managed to get here…

Soon after they finished their tour, one of the Garden Faculty approached. "Master Norg wishes to see you," he said bluntly. He was the more friendly one. "Dincht and Tilmitt have already been summoned down there, as has Kinneas."

"Ellone, go to Cid's office, and…" Harry said, only for the Faculty to hold his hand up.

"Norg requires Ellone's presence too."

"Over my dead body."

"Kramer, I don't want to have anything to do with this. But other Garden Faculty members will be more than willing to oblige. If you refuse to go, Norg intends to kill your friends," the Garden Faculty member said. "The only people he wants alive to deliver to the Sorceress are Ellone, Heartilly, and yourself. If you want to save them, get down to his chamber right now." Then, after a moment, he said, quietly, "Norg himself is vulnerable to wind magic. However, he resides in a special protective pod. If he seals it, attack the orbs if they change colour from blue, or he will use powerful magic."

"Why are you helping us?" Quistis asked suspiciously.

"I hate Norg, and unlike those idiots, I value my skin over my salary," the Faculty member said. "Do you know how to access Norg's chambers, Kramer?"

"Level B1. I remember…"

* * *

As they disembarked from the elevator into the darkened chamber, they heard the distinctive loud and warbling voice of Master Norg burbling from nearby. "…WILL OFFER YOU SEEDS' HEADS ON A PLATTER TO THE SORCERESS, ALONG WITH THAT OF THE KRAMERS! THAT, ALONG WITH ELLONE, SHOULD PLACATE THE SORCERESS! BUJURURURU!"

"You bastard!" came the distinctive yell of Zell. Harry and the others dashed around the corner to Norg's chamber. Zell, Selphie, and Irvine hadn't been hurt, yet, thankfully. But given the belligerent attitude of the person they were facing, that may yet change.

Master Norg was a Shumi, a yellow-skinned creature dressed in robes, with a frog-like face, massive jowls, piggy little eyes, and long fingers on his hands. Harry had seen other Shumi, and knew that Norg was very much a black sheep of that peaceful and humble race. Norg was a greedy bastard, someone Cid had regretted dealing with to fund Garden. He was seated in a massive, mechanical pod, control panels arrayed in front of him.

"SO, KRAMER'S WHELP HAS SEEN FIT TO SHOW HIMSELF," Norg sneered. "YOU'RE LATE! WHEN I SUMMON YOU, YOU MUST BE HERE WITHIN THREE SECONDS!"

"Go fuck yourself, Norg," Harry sneered. "Ultimecia just wants Ellone. The moment she has her, she's going to try and destroy Garden."

"ULTIMECIA? YOU MEAN THE SORCERESS? YOU LIE! ONCE I GIVE ELLONE OVER ALIVE, ALONG WITH YOU AND HEARTILLY, AND THE CORPSES OF THESE IMPUDENT SEEDS, SHE WILL SPARE ME OUT OF GRATITUDE. THIS IS **_MY_** GARDEN! NOT YOUR IMBECILE OF A FATHERS! BUJURURURU!"

"I refuse to go to Ultimecia," Ellone said.

"And we're not going to let you play with our lives any longer," Quistis said.

"YOU HAVE NO CHOICE. I AM NORG, MASTER OF GARDEN! AND I WILL PUT AN END TO YOU, AND EVERYONE ELSE OF CID'S ILK(1)!" With that, he shut the pod up.

* * *

The battle that followed was rather arduous to say the least. But thanks to the Garden Faculty member who warned them, they were prepared. Ellone hung back, as did the Garden Faculty members present. Once the pod was shattered open, the tide began to turn. Quistis managed to draw a new GF from Norg, Leviathan.

Norg, for such a cowardly creature, fought back well. But soon, he sagged back in his chair. "FUSHURURU…I'M DONE FOR…I'M AFRAID OF YOU…NO…NO…" Then, a ball of energy seemed to surround him, and Norg was soon encased in it.

"What the hell is that?" Zell demanded.

Quistis blinked. "A Shumi evolution cocoon. We must have hurt him enough to trigger a regeneration or evolution. Don't worry, he won't be coming out of that for months at least. We can't kill him while he's in that state…but he can't hurt us either."

Harry nodded, before turning to the gathered Garden Faculty. "Now, does anyone else want to object to Cid being the Headmaster of Garden?"

The Faculty members, wisely, said nothing.

* * *

"I wish this could have been resolved without violence," Cid said quietly. "But Norg…"

"Was a greedy, venial son of a bitch," Harry said. Harry, Quistis, Ellone and Squall were in his father's office shortly after that whole saga. "Anyway, Norg isn't actually dead."

"Yes. Perhaps we should contact the Shumi when we have a breather, ask for their help where Norg is concerned," Cid said. He looked out across the sea from the cockpit-balcony thing his office had become. "If we continue on this heading, we'll come close to Fisherman's Horizon, possibly even collide with it."

"Bet they'd be thrilled to see us," Squall remarked sarcastically. Harry agreed. Fisherman's Horizon was a noted colony of pacifists, intended originally to be a haven for those who wished to avoid exploitation. Many of them were expats from Esthar, and indeed, the place derived its name from the fact that it was on the Horizon Bridge connecting Galbadia and Esthar. They were noted for their outspoken opposition to any kind of military force, national or mercenary. Harry could understand why: many of them had had to deal with war. But there were some things discussion and negotiation couldn't resolve. It was a sad fact of life.

"We'll worry about that when the time comes," Cid said. "The White SeeDs may come to pick up Ellone. I'm not sure we can risk her being at Balamb Garden any longer."

"Ultimecia won't stop pursuing her, Dad," Harry pointed out. "And if Ultimecia learns that Ellone has left Balamb Garden, she'll try to attack again."

Ellone nodded. "I don't like it, but I am your shield. As long as I am here, Ultimecia daren't risk the full-scale destruction of Balamb Garden before she can get a hold of me. There's also Uncle Laguna to consider. He said he might be sending something that might help."

"It wouldn't hurt if it was half the Esthar army," Quistis remarked.

"We wouldn't be able to fit them all in Balamb Garden," Cid said. "Keep in mind that Doctor Odine is one of the foremost authorities on Sorceresses and their powers."

"Laguna said he'd contact Odine about that," Harry said.

Suddenly, as if on cue, they heard a humming buzz, and then, something flew into the office. Cid recognised it. "An Esthar reconnaissance drone," he said as the disc-like device landed.

After a moment, an aperture on top of the drone opened up, and a beam of light shot out. A figure crackled into existence in the beam via a blizzard of static. It was definitely Laguna. "… _Hey, it worked. Great! Can you guys see me? Can you guys hear me?_ "

"Unfortunately," Squall remarked.

" _Harsh, man. Though I guess I deserve it_ ," Laguna said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. " _Anyway, got some info for you guys, plus a few gadgets. You know how I didn't know about the Junction Machine Ellone, right? Well, turns out that Odine did create a prototype years ago._ "

"Based on my abilities, Uncle Laguna?" Ellone asked.

" _Hey, Ellone! Long time, no see! And yeah, Odine found a way to replicate them. The machine itself is still in development stages, but it can send people's minds back to the past. He's all excited that someone from the future is using one, even if she's a Sorceress with an axe to grind. He didn't really care that much about Adel being in charge, as long as he could do his experiments, though you know that much already, Ellone._ " Laguna sighed. " _Odine's still working on a counter to his machine, something that will be able to disrupt Ultimecia's junctioning to Edea._ " His voice took on an accent as he imitated Odine. " _Of course I can do zat. Vat? You vant Edea to be alive afterwards? Oh, vell, it vill take longer, zen._ "

Ellone shuddered. "Please don't mimic him, Uncle Laguna. He wasn't a very nice person."

" _Yeah, well, even not-nice people have their uses, Ellone_ ," Laguna said. " _Anyway, I sent this drone partly as a beacon for any further drops I have to make. It uses something called quantum entanglement technology. I don't understand the details, but it's some new-fangled tech that allows people to communicate without the need for radio, and given the signal blockage we use to keep Adel quiet…well, let's just say that once we get this crap out of the way, Esthar will be coming back onto the world map, and peacefully, I hope. This will be some of the tech we'll be exporting._ "

"Do you think that will make up for everything you've done?" Squall asked coldly, glaring at his father.

After a moment, Laguna shook his head. " _Nah, I know I've got a lot to make up to you and Ellone personally. Tell you what, when we meet in person, you get a free punch or kick. It won't make up for everything, but hey, it's a start, right?_ "

After a moment, Squall nodded. "Yes. I guess it's a start."

" _Oh, by the way, Harry told me Julia's kid was with you, little Rinoa!_ " Laguna said. " _You look after her, okay? I heard about the way she embarrassed her daddy by joining the Timber resistance, so I want you to give her this message from me!_ " He gave a thumbs up and a big grin. " _Kudos!_ "

Harry and Ellone couldn't help but laugh, while Quistis smirked. Even a faint smirk came over Squall's features before he hastily smothered it.

" _Anyway, I'd better get going. Odine's not getting any sleep, but he functions on very little when something gets his attention like this. Sadly, I don't have that skill, and it's really late here. Not to mention I've got the upcoming annual inspection of Adel's Tomb to prepare for. It's another few weeks, but space travel's a bitch. Ellone, Squall, I hope to see you both again soon. Hell, I hope to see all of you soon. At the very least, I'll call when I have time. Benefits of being President of Esthar? Long-distance charges are waived. Bye!_ "

"Goodbye, Uncle Laguna," Ellone said. The others nodded, and Laguna's hologram faded…

* * *

Cid had asked Harry and Quistis to stay behind for the time being, dismissing Squall and Ellone. After they had left, Cid put his head in his hands. "God, I'm tired of this. I hope Odine can find some way of freeing my wife, and preventing Ultimecia from gaining a foothold in this time again."

"I hope so too," Harry said quietly.

"Even so, Headmaster, we must be prepared for the possibility that we may need to kill Edea," Quistis said quietly.

"I've been prepared for that possibility for a long time, Quistis," Cid said quietly. "Edea made me promise her, if she ever went rogue…well, this wasn't something I wanted to hear as her husband. It's something every Knight must face, Quistis. And given how you are Knight to Harry's Sorcerer…"

Quistis nodded solemnly. "I…don't want to think about that possibility. Though if Ultimecia decides to choose Harry to act through in this time…"

Cid nodded. "Detachment and objectivity can be hard in such situations. No, I can't say **_can_** be hard. It _will_ be hard. I speak from experience. It's one of the factors behind a decision I wanted to ask your input on. While I am more than capable of running the administration of Balamb Garden, I believe we need another leader in charge of military affairs. Someone drawn from the ranks of SeeD."

"Who?" Harry asked. "Quistis?"

"No. And not you either. You are my son, and Quistis is known for her link to you. I would be accused of favouritism in that regard. I need someone with less links to a Sorceress or Sorcerer. That's why I decided on Squall. Reports from himself, his team, and Rinoa have shown that, in terms of military operations, he works in an objective, decisive manner. So do you, Quistis, but given your links with Harry, and the fact that you're out of favour with the Garden Faculty, even with Norg out of the picture…"

"I understand," Quistis said. "But is Squall ready for the responsibilities of command?"

"I believe so," Cid said. "Yes, it is rather much placed on his shoulders, but I think he's up to the challenge. Better than I am, anyway."

"I hope so," Harry said. He didn't envy Squall. He just hoped that the sullen teenager was ready for the burden of command. Squall might act like a hard man, but sometimes, hard men were brittle, and this new burden might just crush him, make him shatter.

He hoped his father had the right idea. That was all he could do…

 **CHAPTER 11 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **No, this story isn't dead! It very nearly was, but it's been brought back from the grave! I hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway.**

 **I've decided to skip all that Fisherman's Horizon malarkey. As much as I admire actual pacifists who can stick to their guns, Dobe and Flo are obnoxious idiots. Here, Garden misses FH, and it will be Laguna's techs from Esthar who help renovate things. We'll have the concert at Balamb, though, rather than at FH. And FH won't be targeted by Ultimecia and Galbadia (yet) because Ultimecia knows that Ellone's on Balamb Garden.**

 **Review-answering time!** **Blackholelord** **: Thank you. But no, Ultimecia won't be their distant descendant.**

 **1\. This is actually my riff on a similar line from the end of episode 3 of** ** _Doctor Who: Paradise Towers_** **. The Chief Caretaker is being confronted by a being he once thought was his pet, but was utterly malevolent and out of his control (and was the crazy architect who created Paradise Towers, but hates people living in his creations). When he refuses to accede to his 'pet's latest demands, said creature roars, "** ** _YOU HAVE NO CHOICE. I AM KROAGNON, THE GREAT ARCHITECT! AND I WILL PUT AN END TO YOU, AND EVERYONE ELSE IN PARADISE TOWERS!_** **"**


End file.
